And Into My Fire, You Shall Fall
by Mikaracat
Summary: When out on a run alone, one of the team aids a former member of the Foot. Questioning his usefulness in the team, he asks to learn from his new friend. A friend who pushes him to accept his own strength and power. But there are stories... and what could happen if his new teacher is something not quite human... and possibly more deadly than Shredder? Rated T for Violence/language
1. Chapter 1

**Like the Phoenix, I have risen from the ashes.**

**And into my fire, you shall fall.**

It was warm for September in New York. The normal touch of crispness was absent from the air, even at 3am. The city itself was still awake, but just barely. Most of the bright lights were off, and would remain off untill 5. 'New York,' she thought, 'the only city in the world where dawn itself is controled by an electrician.' She smiled to herself. There was beauty here, almost a kind of magic in this time of night.

She shifted slightly, and felt the pressure on the palm of her hand equalize. The world looked odd upside-down, she decided, so that the city became the sky. But then, it was an odd perch; 200 feet up precariously balanced on one hand, on the head of a stone gargoyle. She reached up with her free hand and grabbed both ankles, pulling them down so that her back arched, and her spine stretched.

She pushed the images of the city away, untill all she saw in her mind was what she was doing now. She smiled, feeling a blanket of peace wrap around her, forcing her to relax,even as she balanced. Slowly, the noise around her dulled, untill the only thing she heard was the sound of her own heartbeat.

Not far away, on a high rooftop, four figures sparred. Katanas and Sai's flashed in the starlight, and the steady whirr of a bow staff and nun-chucks was constant.

Leo was silent, wearing a frown as he watched his youngest brother fight Raph. Michelangelo couldn't seem to land a hit no matter what. With a roundhouse kick, Raphael sent Mikey onto the tar roofing again.

"C'mon Mikey! You're not even trying!" Raph complained.

Mike stood and assumed the fighting stance again. He was quiet, and seemed strangely withdrawn from his brothers. Again, Raph came at him, and again, his movements seemed sluggish. Raph didn't even bother knock him down.

"What's the matter with you?" Raph stopped in mid-swing.

"Everything, it seems like."Mike responded crossly. "I'll be back later." He walked away.

"Where are you going?" Leo asked as Mike headed towards the edge of the roof.

"For a run," he replied unapologetically, "I've got a lot on my mind."

"What mind?!" Donny quipped with a grin.

"See you back at the lair." He didn't even bother to return a pun. He leapt silently, and was gone. Leo looked at Donny, who shrugged and set to spar with Raph.

...


	2. Chapter 2

Michelangelo ran hard and fast, trying to bleed the anger from his mind.

'That's what happens when you eavesdrop,' he thought, 'You always end up hearing stuff you'd be happier never knowing.' His teeth clenched as he ran. 'It's not like I don't know I'm not as good as they are! Heck, I'd be the first to admit it! But I didn't know Splinter thought I was a...a liability to the team!'

His mind kept repeating the conversation he had listened to, over and over until he could barely think. He leapt up, and caught the side of a passing train headed towards downtown.

"You see the problem I face, Leonardo." Splinter had said. "Michelangelo is different from the rest of you. He is reckless, and his carelessness has put you all in danger several times. If there is a way to help him mature the way the rest of you have, I do not know it, and... and it may be nessacary to send him to study with another Master for a time."

Leo had only stared, and then replied "Yes, Sensei."

'Dose Leo think that about me too?' Mike wondered, 'Or Donnie, or Raph? What if Splinters' right and I _DO_ put our family in danger?'

Leonardo would never argue with their Father and Sensei, Mikey knew, and now the future seemed so uncertain. None of his brothers would try to keep him there once Splinter had made up his mind. It was a like a Sword of Damocles hanging over him; Every time he entered the lair, he half expected to be told to pack his bags. He leapt off the train, scaled the side of a building, and found a quiet rooftop. He sat down in the shadows, closed his eyes, and began to meditate. He pushed the conversation away, and emptied his mind. This, actually, had always been one of the hardest parts of training... at least it used to be.

She could feel another presence through the night, unlike any she'd encountered before. Whoever they where, they were upset, hurt, and more than a little angry. They were trying to push them away, as mediation dictated, she realized.

The emotional pain they where in was deep, coated in sadness and self-doubt. For a moment, it was so intense that she shuddered, and pulled her mind back. She relaxed and went over what her mind had seen and felt.

Yes, there had been pain, anger, humiliation... but at the same time, there was so much strength, paired with an almost reckless courage. So much bravery without wisdom would be seen as foolishness, she knew, but if it could be paired with knowledge and the strength she'd sensed, whoever they where would be formidable indeed. Someone worth meeting, perhaps, or at least observing. She flipped herself right-side up, and silently headed towards her fellow roof-top meditator.

Michelangelo was invisible to the untrained eye in the shadows of the buildings. He blinked hard, and came out of his meditation. 'What was that?' he wondered. It was like when someone was asleep, and you brushed a feather on their face; Not enough to wake them up, but just enough to make them brush it away... or hit themselves in the face with a handful of shaving cream... He thought of Raph and smiled at the memory.

It was like someone had run a feather against his mind while he was meditating. The feeling had been strange. Not hostile, but strong. Interesting, new, but familiar, like a scent or song that you couldn't quite recall. Then, he heard it. The light, steady patter of multiple sets of feet; A sound he had come to know far too well over the last three years since he and his brothers had first came up to the surface. He jumped up, and vanished.

20 foot ninja ran past where he was hidden in the shadows, headed towards one of the old skyscrapers. Waiting untill they passed, Mike left his hiding place and followed. He kept to the buildings above where the foot ran, and found a scene that was complete deja vu. The foot he had followed where only part of a larger force.

At least a hundred foot had come to a stop, surrounding, but not attacking, a lone figure. The person was dressed in black, with a full mask. The only adornment on the outfit was a white armband with some kind of silver emblem. The stranger wasn't trying to flee, but waited, almost expectantly. And then, Michelangelo saw **HIM**.

The Shredder, leader of the foot, struck a chilling silliouett against the night sky.


	3. Chapter 3

After what seemed to be a eternity, he spoke.

"You come back to New York? You DARE to walk my city after your betrayal?" He snarled. "But perhaps you did me service... After all, you brought _her_ back with you!"

The stranger regarded him without speaking, without showing any fear. They seemed almost... Board?

Shredder suddenly laughed..."HA! Ahhh... the bravery of the 'hero'. " He shook his head. "Bravery is by far the kindest word for 'stupidity', don't you think?" His voice shifted, and seemed almost gentle. "Fushicho... (Foo-she-cho)... You can come back to the foot... and everything can be the way it was. He held out his hand, "I have scientists in my employ, they could help you; Both."

Finally, the figure spoke. "No. I can never go back to the way things were." Mikey could only stare... it was a Girl! " You know what I did, the same way you know I will never return to the foot. As for _Her_," she scoffed, "Under your tutelage, she would become a living weapon. I can't allow that to happen."

Shredder regarded her coolly. "Very well. You make this more difficult than needed." He turned his men. "Capture, but do Not harm her." he looked over, and added, "Kill the freak."

Fushicho a glanced over as she brought her wepons up, she saw that she no longer stood alone. An enormous turtle wearing an orange face mask, stood next to her, Nun chucks drawn. In her time, she'd seen stranger. She unsheathed her Tanto knives, and simply nodded to him. In that instant, a friendship was forged, neither one knowing how or why, only that it **was**. Back to back, they faced their assailants; Taking out the foot one by one.

The chaos of battle reigned supreme. The foot could't tell if they where fighting two people or twenty. Mikey poured his pent-up emotions into his fighting, letting go of the tight control he'd held for the last 12 days. The repressed rage of silence rushed through him as fluid as water.

Under her mask, Fushicho was grinning. Alone, well, things could have been really bad. Now though, with this strange fighter by her side, perhaps there was a chance. After only a few moments, their moves seemed to flow in tandem, and she knew this was the mind she'd felt before.

Mikey moved out and swung his nun chucks towards her. Instinctively, she caught them, and allowed herself to become part of the weapon. The solid 'thump' of her feet smashing Foot solider faces gave her a strange amount of satisfaction.

Calmness settled over Michelangelo as he fought, and cleared his mind. As it did, he began to wonder about his new friend. They didn't know each other, yet here they where, two warriors, side by side... and the foot continued to fall back.

'How is this possible?' was all he could think. Oh, he'd trained, fought with and against his brothers, but compared to this, it was... ordinary. A vague memory of Splinter telling him and his brothers about partnerships came to mind.

"A connection, empathy, awareness of another warrior is very rare." He had said, " This ability comes only after intense study under the best of teachers: it is called _Soong-cha_, and it can be the greatest weapon a pair of ninja can create."

'I've gotta pay more attention...' Mikey reminded himself.

Without exchanging a word, Fushischo and Mikey leapt up and crane-kicked four more foot down. As Shredder flipped out his hand-spikes and prepared to join the battle himself, a katana flashed in the starlight, and Michelangelo fell: a wound gaping in his side. Fushicho put herself between the remaining ninja and her fallen comrade, and turned to face him. Something reared its ugly head within her, and she smiled beneath her mask. "You wanted Her voice came out as a harsh whisper, "You have no idea what you'd be unleashing..."

Something, some force ripped through the air, and Shredder stopped in his tracks. He'd seen this before, and what had transpired then: it had been almost barbaric, and had ended in blood-shed. He looked at her and shook his head.

"Ninja! Vanish!" He shouted, and the foot disappeared as quickly as they'd come.

With the danger past, Fushicho turned to her unusual friend. The wound was long and deep, but didn't look like it had hit anything vital... but blood flowed at an alarming rate. In one motion, she ripped off her sleeves and used them to cover the injury; and used her belt and his to hold them in place. Evidence of his injury and a tie from his orange mask lay on the rooftop as the lights of the city began to awaken. "Now is not the time to worry about tidiness." She muttered. With a surprising amount of ease, she lifted him over her shoulder, and set out towards her home. With some quick thinking, her unusual champion just might make it.

Unbeknownst to her, the brothers of her new friend were just getting home.

"I've got to get back to work." Donatello said, "I'm going to try to have central heat by November."

"I just want to sack out for a while," Raph responded with a yawn, "But Mikey will probably want to talk about his new video game scores the rest of the night."

Once they where inside, it was obvious no one was awake. Leo stuck his head in Mikeys' room, saw the oversized lump on the bed and smiled.

"Don't worry Raph. It looks like your not the only one who needs some sleep."

The sun was just coming over the horizon as Fushicho finally sat down. The person who'd helped her was going to be all right. The katana wound was long, but it would heal. 'The only question was how long would it take?' She wondered, 'He's lucky there's so much shell, and not that much flesh.' The cut was deep, but his chest's plastron had caught at least 1/3 of the blade, instead of opening his chest the hard way.

She leaned back in a soft chair, and propped her feet up on the end of her patient's bed. After seeing so many strange and amazing things in her life, a giant turtle didn't seem so weird. Still... she wondered where someone like him came from. 'A science lab? Another planet? Or is he just another race we share our world with?'

Raph came out of his room, yawning and stretching. He glanced over, and the clock read 2pm. Leo was already in the practice area, sparring with an invisible foe, and it looked like Donatello had fallen asleep while working on the computer again. Raph yanked open the fridge, and found (to his surprise) that the two carton s of chinese food and 1/2 a pizza from the night before were still there.

"Mikey must be sick." Raph mumbled to himself as he popped open a carton of lo-mein.

"Maby that's it," Leo had came up behind him, "He might be sick."

"What, Mike?" Raph asked.

"It would explain why he's been acting so weird for the last week." Leonardo replied, "I'll go check on him." He turned, and flipped over the tv room. Raph only shrugged, and continued eating.

Leo walked quietly into Mikey's room. It was a chaotic mess, mostly of comic books, old food containers, and video game cases, but hey, that was Mike. Careful to step around the "Silver Sentry" comics, Leo tapped the lump on the bed. "Hey Mikey, are you alright?" He said softly. There wasn't even a mumbled reply. "All right, if you're _really_ that tired, Raph'll eat all the pizza without you!" There wasn't a response to that, so Leo did the norm. In one swift motion, he pulled the covers off the bed. Then the world tilted, and he felt his mouth hanging open.

The lump on the bed was NOT Michelangelo, but books and pillows. In a flash, Leo was in the main room. "DON! Wake up!" He shook him.

"Huh...what?" He replied groggaly, sitting up, a keyboard pattern stuck on his face.

"Did you see Mikey go out earlier?" Leo asked.

"Mike? No... Isn't he still asleep?" Don looked puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"He's not in his room. Can you check the security feeds for the last 8 hours, and see when he went back out?" Leo questioned.

"Sure, give me a few minutes." Don rubbed his eyes, and started clacking away on his computer.

Leo started pacing, hoping that Mikey had only gotten the urge to get some pizza Goya or something.

"Umm...Guys?" Don spoke a moment later, "We have a problem. Mikey didn't go back out this morning, it's... it's that he never came home last night."

"Are you sure, Don?" Leo stared, and Donatello nodded. "Ok," Leo took a deep breath, "Let's not panic. I say we call April and Casey, and see if he crashed with either of them."

"I'll call April!" Don spoke up a little too loudly, and ran for the phone. "Raph can call Casey."

"Right, I get to call the one who is grumpy no matter what time you wake him up." Raph rolled his eyes. "Fine. But, c'mon! How much trouble could Mikey get himself into?"

"Uh, Helloooo! 'Brains in Alien robot bodies'! That's how much trouble he could get into!" Leonardo half-shouted, and then saw Splinter standing in the doorway. His face said he'd heard everything. "If no one's seen him, we start searching tonight."

"Perhaps April and Casey will assist you." Splinter looked at Leo and quietly added, "Find Him."

**My thanks to the people that have R&R'd! This is my first TMNT fanfiction and would like any and all feedback! (That being said, please be gentle with your criticisms! ;) ) **

**Posting the next part soon! **

**S.H.O.T.S**

**Established January 23, 2013**

**"Normal Is Just A Setting On Your Washing Machine"**


	4. Chapter 4

Michelangelo drifted in and out of conciousness, not really wanting to wake up. Here it was cozy and warm. If he got up, he'd have to go train, or wait to be kicked out. He wanted to stay like this a little longer, pretending he wasn't the least gifted, pretending that, for once, he was a hero. Little by little though, his senses began to wake him.

First it was the smell, completely devoid of the fumes of old food and ink. It was quiet; No rumbling of the subway overhead. As for the rest of him, well, the bed was far too soft and comfortable to be his in the lair. Finnaly, he opened hid eyes.

He blinked several times, as his eyes tried to adjust to the bright light. The sun was setting outside over the city skyline. It beamed through two enormous windows, bathing the entire room in a warm golden glow. He glanced around at the vintage furniture, from the roll-top desk to the period lamps, and felt an overwhelming sense of confusion. Mike stretched out and felt a dull throbbing in his head. He tried to sit up, only to have a sharp pain slice up his right side. He cried out once, and fell back against the pillows. His hands searched his torso, and found his ribs bandaged.

'What happened to me?' Mikey wondered to himself. "And where am I?" He asked out loud.

"In my home." A female voice said, "I hope you didn't rip out any stitches."

Standing in the doorway was a young woman. She was tall with ivory skin and long thick hair the color of a ravens' wing; but once he met her eyes, all Michelangelo could do was stare. They where i violet/i.

"I would hate to have to do it again, without you being unconscious." Her face twisted in a slight grimace, but then she smiled. "I knew there where unusual people in New York, but I didn't expect to find someone like you so quickly... or did you find me?"

"_FIND_ you?" Mike asked, and then he smiled back. "So do you have another name, or should I call you Fushicho?'

She shut her eyes for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, please don't call me that. I lived under that name for 15 years, and I'd rather not be reminded of who I was then. So..." She gave a little shrug, "Call me Phoenix."

Michelangelo nodded. "Phoenix. It suits you." He touched his side again. "I remember getting hurt, falling... how did we get away?" He asked.

"We where lucky." Phoenix muttered. "I'd like to take a look at your injury, if that's alright?" She walked over to his bedside.

"Look away! Or is it 'Look ahead'?" He grimaced as she gently un-wrapped the bandages and checked the stitches.

"Not too bad, no sign of infection, and the stitches are holding nicely." She nodded, and re-wrapped his ribs in clean bandages.

"That cut doesn't look like it was made last night." Mike commented, and looked at her.

"That's because you've been unconscious with a fever for three days, and asleep for another day and a half after the fever broke." She explained.

"FOUR and a half DAYS?" Mikey stared at her. "My Dad's gonna kill me." He covered his face with his hands. "No, Raph'll try to kill me. Sensei will just stand there and give me this... look." He glanced miserably at Phoenix, "You know, the kind of look that makes you feel like you've disappointed the best person in your life?"

She sighed. "No. Whenever I disappointed someone, I was yelled at. A "Look" would have been to tame." Phoenix shook her head, and touched his hand. "But I think the yelling is easier to handle than guilt... Michelangelo."

His head snapped up, and he stared at her in shock. "How do you know?" His voice trailed off.

She squeezed his hand. "I make a habit of hacking the clan's network whenever I can. The files about 'Giant Turtles'" She air quoted, "Was something I had to read. There's you and the rest of your team... three more, like you?"

Mikey opened his mouth, but stopped; finally he looked at her. "I want to talk to you, an' tell you all about us. But.." He sighed, "It wouldn't be the first time someone pretended to be my friend to try to catch the rest of us. I mean, I feel like I can trust you, but I can't put my family in danger again. I'm sorry."

"I understand. I don't blame you. There was a time when I would have died before uttering one word about the inner workings of the foot." She replied.

"You know all about the foot clan, and The Shredder. But you're not one of them. Who are you?" He asked.

Phoenix sat on the side of the bed and looked at him. "I guess I should be honest with you. You overheard the conversation the other night between Oroku Saki and myself, right?" Mikey nodded. "Then you know I was a member of the foot. I was brought up with other orphans that were 'rescued' by members of the foot clan in Japan. My parents died when I was just a baby... and the clan was the only life I'd ever know. The other children didn't like me; Oroku Saki treated me like was special... like he cared. Shredder used to tell us: 'This is your family, and I am your father.' And I believed it. I wanted to make him proud so badly... but I always failed."

She shut her eyes, and took a deep breath. "I was 15; finally old enough to lead a team on a raid. We called it a 'raid' but we were doing grand-scale theft. Our target was a high-tech electronics company just outside of Tokyo. We got in, grabbed the target items, and were almost out, when we ran into the only security person in the building. We broke ranks and ran, and something happened. We started a fire as a diversion, and my team and I escaped, but the security guard... " she looked away, "He didn't. I tried to go back in, but the other foot pulled me away, and we went back to headquarters. I was told that Master Shredder wanted to see me in the great hall."

She looked into Mikey's eyes. " I thought I was going to be killed. If you fail too many times, that's what happens. But..." A horrible laugh caught in her throat, " He stood up in front of the entire clan, and said how **PROUD** he was of me. Of my ruthlessness, and cunning. That letting the security person die in that fire was the only way to keep anyone from knowing what had happened. How I was to be _HONERED_ for taking a life. It was in that moment I knew it was over. I couldn't stay there if the price of his pride was becoming a killer." Phoenix sighed. "That was four years ago."

"What did you do?" Mike asked quietly, thinking of what his life had been like four years ago. So simple and easy compared to hers. "How did you get away?"

"I waited untill we were suppose to go on another raid, packed a few things, and when we left, I disappeared." She smiled slightly. "I ran, and hid aboard a ship sailing for Hong Kong. When I got there, I just kept going through China; I hiked in the Himalayas, and learned so much about this world that I'd been blind to. So many things..." She paused as the memories wrapped around her, "Things like compassion, kindness... And I realized, that if things like those were considered foolish and weak? Then that's what I'd be."

Phoenix shrugged. "And then I discovered something amazing. The things that the foot would call weaknesses? Those are my greatest strengths." A look passed between them. "And you're the same, I can tell. You want to believe the best in everything, in everyone." He nodded.

"Well, to make the rest of a VERY long story short, I made my way through the mountains, the middle east, I walked the great cities of europe, and finally came here. I don't know why, but of all the places I've been... New York feels like home." She finished. "So is the tail of Phoenix, once know as Fushicho."

Phoenix sat back in her chair. "That's who I am. I won't say I've led a perfect life, but I will say this: I swear to you, on everything I hold sacred, that I am not your enemy. And if I can help you or protect you, I will." She paused, and extended both of her hands to him, palms up. " Without you, I would have been captured, or worse. I owe you a debt. I offer to do whatever I can, no matter what, to get you back to your family." She waited expectantly.

Michelangelo stared at her in disbelief. "You don't owe me anything. I did what anyone else would do!"

"Anyone else?" She questioned. "Wade into a fight to help a stranger? Risk their lives for someone they didn't know? Somehow I doubt it. _Anyone_ would have walked away, or called the police. I do owe you, even if you can't understand why."

"I'm not like you make me sound;" Michelangelo argued with a shake of his head, "I'm a goof-off and a screw-up, not a hero..." He looked away, "Although, I've tried to be."

"Just a hero?" She looked at him. "Don't sell yourself short, Mike."

"What do you mean by that?" He tilted his head in puzzlement. "You think there's something better?"

Phoenix nodded. "Being the person you are ment to become is the highest calling anyone could have; And it is so much more than having a moment of fame as a 'hero'." She nodded at him. "Deep down, I think you know what I'm talking about. Tell me, where's the glory, the _fame_ in helping a stranger?"

"It WAS'NT for glory or.. or fame!" He replied hotly, "Shredder going after you with so many foot, If I'd run away, it just wouldn't have been right!" Mike declared loudly. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he went silent. 'Holy freaking shell...' he thought.

"Oh." He muttered one syllable in surprise.

"Congratulations." Phoenix smiled broadly. "You just learned the first lesson in self-worth."

She walked around the side of the bed, and to his surprise, she blushed. "You've been out for a while... do you need to um... you know?"

He looked at her for a second and then realized what she was asking. "OH! Uh, yeah."

Michelangelo tried to stand, but his knees buckled before he could take more than a step. Phoenix gently helped him to his feet, and steadied him as he tried to walk. Mike felt embarrassment wash over him; It wasn't bad enough he'd been wounded, but he couldn't even make it to the bathroom alone! And yet... somehow he knew she didn't see any of those things as weakness. He shut the door behind him, and looked in the mirror.

'Ick..' he thought, 'I look like an ad for death.' There where dark circles under his eyes, and it looked like he'd lost 10 pound in the last week. He smiled to himself, and wondered if anyone had missed him yet. Mikey gave a half-laugh out loud. No chance!

'We've been searching for 4 nights!' Raph thought as he pummeled his workout bag. As long as it was daylight, they were stuck, and it was all he could do to only take out his rage in practice. 'The Krang, the Foot, the Purple Dragons! ANY of them could've tried somethin'!' He felt something under the fury, something that was growing more difficult to ignore with each passing day. Fear. Raphael shut his eyes for a moment, and then attacked the bag again with renewed purpose.

Donnie rubbed his eyes, and drained another energy drink before returning to his computers. April picked up the empty cans scattered around his work station,and bit her lip as she looked at him. Dark circles marred Don's face, as did his blood-shot eyes.

"Any luck?" She put a hand on his shoulder, and squeezed.

Donnie shook his head. "No. But it's a good thing and a bad thing."

"What do you mean?" April looked at him in surprise.

"Well, there's no mention of anything like him in any of the computers I've hacked, so at least we know where he isn't." He closed his eyes, and rubbed his hands over his face. "This is so _FRUSTERATING!_" He burst out. "Where else would he'd've gone that night? NONE of his usual haunts have come up with anything..."

April turned his chair around, and pulled him into a strong hug. "It'll be all right. We're going to find him, Donnie. I know we will." She pulled back and smiled at him.

"How can you be so sure?" Don whispered back.

"Easy. Because we have you. How can we lose?" She hugged him again, then turned him back around, and pulled up a chair next to him. "So let me help, OK?"

Donatello looked at her and smiled for the first time in days. "How do you always know what to say?" He asked softly. 'God, how is it she's become even more beautiful than the day I met her?' he silently wondered, but then mentally slapped himself, and shook his head. "I'm trying to hack the mainframe in Chris Bradfords' old dojo. I could use a hand."

April nodded. "Right. Let's do this." She turned to one of the computers and cracked her knuckles. She looked at the security protocols, and her eyes narrowed. 'Ok honey,' she thought, 'let's dance.'

Leo had spent the better part of the daylight hours in Mikey's room, going through everything. Hoping, praying that there'd be a clue to where he was. Leo flipped over a couple of comic books, and clenched his fists.

'What kind of a leader am I?' He thought in disgust. 'I shouldn't have let him go off alone! He's... God, he's just a kid! What was I thinking?!' Leonardo pressed his face against the brick walling of Mikeys' room, and closed his eyes. Guilt, heavy and hot folded around him, until he could barely breathe. He inhaled sharply, and punched the wall. He opened his eyes, and saw his knuckles bleeding. It hurt, but not like what was going on inside him.

"Hey Leo," Raph stood in the doorway, "You planning on beating up anymore concrete, or what?" He demanded.

Leo turned, and glared at him. "If you know so much, _WHAT_ should I be doing right now?!" He replied sharply. "It's daylight, so we're stuck, and neither of us knows thing one about computer hacking, so what do you want me to do Raph, HUH?!"

"I was trying to ask you if you wanted to do a little one-on-one sparing..." Raphael gave a little snort, "but it seems like you've got more to deal with right now. You should rinse off that scrape. " He walked away, leaving Leo alone.

April looked over as Raph came back in. "What happened? It sounded like you two got into a shouting match."

"Let me put it this way:" Raph glared back at the doorway, "I HATE it when Leo reminds me of me!"


	5. Chapter 5

Mike let out a belch that could rattle windows. "S'cuse me." He blushed. "I don't think I've ever been that hungry!" He looked at the empty pizza boxes and finished off a soda.

"You've probably never been out for that long before." Phoenix replied with a smile. "One time I was out for a week, and ended up eating my weight in Tofu." She stretched out in the armchair next to his bed.

"TOFU?!" Mikey made a face. "Yuck. You didn't like pizza?"

"I'd never had it before." She shook her head. "Besides, the foot has a food code: No fat, No suger, No salt."

"NO FLAVOR!" Mike finished. "I get it though. Me'n my bros lived on Alge and Worms for 15 years. The first time I tried pizza.. it was like realizing I had taste buds!" He looked at her. "Thanks. I'm on my way back to being normal..." He paused, "Or as normal as a giant turtle can be!"

Phoenix picked up the boxes, and looked at him. "Normal is just a setting on a washing machine. I'd rather be unique."

"Unique? Is that what you call people like you and me?" He asked softly. "I'm not sure... I have three brothers. The rest of the team." He sighed. "They're all different, but they each are amazing at something. _They're_ unique. I'm... not. But, I wish I was. I'm not a leader like Leo, my oldest brother, or as strong as Raph, or..." he laughed, "..and I KNOW I'm nowhere near as smart as Donnie. MY claim to fame is partying. What dose that tell you?"

"Michelangelo, stop right there." She held up a hand. "Don't you hear yourself? STOP IT."

She frowned. "You are not your brothers, and you need to stop trying to be! Did you ever think that's why you can't find your own strength? Because you keep trying to be them." Phoenix looked away suddenly. "I'm sorry Mike. You're hurt, and the last thing you need is someone giving you a hard time."

Michangelo only stared for a moment, and then laughed softly. "I'm used to being givin' a hard time, but never like this. You really don't like it when I put myself down?" She nodded without speaking. "And," he continued, "You honestly think...that maybe I'm y'know... unique?"

Phoenix smiled. "Yes. I meant every word, and I know you probably don't believe me, but of all of the ninjas I've know, you have the most potential to be something amazing. And it's not just the way you fight. That is, your moves are great, but it's that you have a pure heart, and... and you have honor." She bit her lower lip, and then continued. "If your brothers treat you like you aren't as good as them, then you have to stand up to that idea, and prove them wrong." She stood, and looked out the window. "And you can Mike. I know it." She turned back to him. "It's almost night. Do you want to call your family, and let them know that you're OK?"

Mike considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I'll call a friend of ours, and let her tell the guys I'm alright. If the Foot are following you, I don't want my brothers coming here."

She nodded. "Makes sense. Here." She pulled a cellphone out of the desk in the room. "It's a disposable cell. The call can't be traced from either end. It'll help keep all of us safe. I'll go if you want."

"NO." Mikey shook his head. "I told you I feel like I can trust you, so stay. I'm not going to tell them were you are. I promise."

Phoenix touched his hand, and turned towards the door. "I trust you, Michelangelo. Like I said, you have honor. If you make a promise, I believe you won't break it." She left the room and closed the door behind her. She walked down the hall to the kitchen, and dropped the pizza boxes in the trash. For a miniute, she closed her eyes and grabbed the counter as her knees went weak.

'This was'nt suppose to happen.' Phoenix thought. She'd wanted to help the warrior who'd helped her, but it never crossed her mind that she'd feel so protective of him. Or that she'd want to make him see that nothing was stopping him from becoming the ninja, the "Hero" he wanted to be; Nothing but himself.

'And,' She admitted selfishly, 'I want him to stay for a while.' She shook her head. It had been so long since she'd laughed, so long since she _had'ent_ been lonely, and so long since she'd had a friend... 'NO,' she shook her head at herself, 'I'm going to get him home. I'm not asking him to get in any deeper with what's going on with me than he already is.' She sighed. "It's not safe." Phoenix wispered aloud.

The door shut, and Mike picked up the phone. 'Just tell them the truth,' he thought, 'and it'll be ok.' he shook his head. 'Yeah, right!' He dialed Aprils' number, and waited as it rang.

"Hey, April! Your phone's goin' off!" Raph called out. "That ring tone is really annoying!"

"Ok, ok!" April picked up her phone, "Blocked number? Huh. Hello?"

"Ummm... Hi April." Mike said.

"MIKEY!" She shouted, and was suddenly surrounded by all three of the guys. "Where are you!? Where have you been?!"

"It's a long story; I just wanted you to tell everyone that I'm fine. Well, a little banged up, but I'm ok." He paused, "I... I was on a run, and..."

Before he could finish the sentence, a voice interrupted. "Mikey! Where the shell are you?!" Raph demanded. "We are gonna come get you, then I'm gonna kick your butt!"

"Give me the phone!" Leo shoved Raph, and grabbed April's cell. "Mike, what happened? It's been days!"

"There was a fight. I jumped in the middle of it to help someone, And let's just say that the odds were'nt in our favor." Mike avoided the question of were he was.

"You got into a big fight without us?! C'mon Mike, you should've come and gotten us!" Leo face-palmed himself.

"There was'nt any time!" Mikey countered, "You were too far away from us for me to come and get you! "

"Really, Mikey, how could you be that stupid?!" Leonardo demanded. "Oh, wait. I forgot who I was talking to." He took a deep breath, "When are you going to be back?"

Mike closed his eyes. "I don't know. I'll be home when I get there. I just called to tell you not to worry... And Leo?" he paused, "I'm not stupid. Goodbye." He hit 'end call' and put his face in his hands.

"Mike? MIKEY!?" Leo stared at the phone. "He hung up! And... and he sounded weird."

"Mike's always weird." Donnie said without humor. "What did he say?"

"He said he got into a fight the other night, and that he's allright. But that's just it." Leo looked at them. "I know Mikey's usually weird, but he didn't sound like himself. Donnie, can you trace the call?"

Don shook his head. "That was the first thing I tried, but all I got was a signal area somewhere in Manhattan."

Raph spoke up, "So who do we go pound?"

"He didn't say. But he DID say that he didn't come to get us because it was too far away to get back in time." Leo looked at Donnie. "Can we use that to search?"

Don nodded. "I'll set the new parameters. He's somewhere uptown. We'll figure this out."

Phoenix knocked on the door to Mikey's room, and heard a 'Uhg!'

"Mike? Are you ok?" She opened the door, and saw his face. "What happened?"

"I called April, she's a family friend, and she was with my brothers." He smacked one first into the other. "And all they could say was _'How could you be so stupid? Oh, wait. I forgot who I was talking to!' _I mean, they asked where I was, and what happened, but still..."

She felt her hands clench, and took a deep breath. "I almost wish they where here..." she spoke cooly, "So I could hand them a nice serving of butt-whoop!"

Mike started in surprise at her face. "Phoenix, it's nothing I have'nt heard before. I'm used to it." He smiled, "But right before I hung up? I told him, 'I'm not stupid'. It felt good to say, even if I don't believe it... not yet anyways."

"Well then," She smiled back, "that's a step in the right direction. Relax, meditate, and think about what we talked about. Push those hurtful words out of your mind, and remember," She turned to go, "You don't have to be anyone but you." Phoenix shut the door behind her, and walked to a room down the hall. She unlocked the door, stepped inside, and locked it after herself. She smiled at the idea that had come to her, and she pulled out her supplies. 'Now, to get to work.' She thought.

Michelangelo sat up and closed his eyes. Everything that had happened in the last week was a bit overwhelming, but at the same time he felt relieved. 'It would'nt matter if Sensi wants me to study with someone else,' he thought, 'If that Master was like her!' He relaxed, and slowed his breathing. 'And maby...' he thought as he slid towards meditation, 'Maby she's right. Maby I only need to be me.' Holding that thought, he cleared everything else from his mind, and began to meditate.

"Why would Mikey even **BE** in this part of town?" Raph asked as they raced over the moon-lit rooftops. "This is'nt near any of his normal hangouts, or even near a decent pizza place!" He stopped and pointed, "There are museums around here, for cryin' out loud! I don't even think Mikey knew what a museum was!"

"KNOWS." Leonardo corrected sharply. "Don't talk about him in the past-tense!" With a nod, they took off again.

The buildings where old in this part of NY, some even historic. Leo shook his head.

"Ok don, now you've got me confused too. I can't think of any reason Mike would be in this area. None. Nada. Zip." Raph nodded in agreement.

Donatello turned, and looked at them both. "I don't think so. I think, we'er so used to him being 'Mikey the goof' that we forget that there's somone else in there." He turned away. "A ninja, named Michelangelo."

Leonardo jerked back as if Don had punched him. "No matter why he was around here, we've got seven hours before dawn." Leo muttered. "Let's make them count."

Phoenix threw herself into her work. Some could claim that a great artist needed no inspiration, no muse to _BE_ great. She however, could only create when inspired. She felt something flowing through her, an ugly passion that demanded to be expelled onto canvas.

'Hate?' she wondered as she moved. 'No, hate is too timid a word...this, ' she reached for more black, and attacked the painting. 'This is despair, loathing... evil.' she decided. She sighed, and put down her brush. 'I learned something valubul from him afterall,' she thought as she viewed the half-finished painting, 'I learned about the nature of evil.' Phoenix nodded silently, and walked out.

Rooftop after rooftop, ally after ally, they searched; For something, anything, that could give them a clue, or even a wild idea. Hours later, they met on a old sky-scraper rooftop.

"Are you sure about this, Don?" Raph asked for about the 50th time.

"IF my calculation basis is correct, then we should find _something_ in the next two square blocks." Donnie replied sourly.

"Right. And right now that's lookin' like a big O'l IF!" Raph mocked. "I mean, sure, you're , but even you can be wrong!"

"STOP!" Leo cut him off. "If Donnie says two more blocks, then we search two more blocks! Split up and move!" he demanded. He dashed up a fire escape, and looked around. As he looked out across the city sky-line, something caught his eye. A small winking of light seemed to beckon to him, on a roof a few buildings over. Going on instinct, Leo followed, up and over to the roof.

Stuck in the door of an old maintenance staircase, was a ninja star...bearing the mark of the Foot.


	6. Chapter 6

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Leo looked around at the rest of the roof. Scratches and dents, left by weapons, not time littered the concreate and tar roofing. And something, Leonardo saw, lay in his shadow. "Don! Raph! Over here!" He finally managed to call out. When they got there, Leo didn't speak. He only held up a single mask tie, the color, bright orange, except where it'd gone rust-brown from dried blood.

"There was a rumble up here, no doubt about that," Raph spoke after clenching his fists, "but even Mikey knows better than to jump into a fight with the foot!"

Don examined the angles of the weapon strikes. "He didn't." He said quietly. "This was an ambush."

Leo's hand tightened around the cloth. "Shredder." Leo could barely speak. "But why Mikey? And why would Mike say he was all right if Shredder had him?"

"BAIT." Donatello spoke up coldly. "He knows that we'll try to get Mikey back, and then he'll have us all."

"Then let him bring it! Right NOW!" Raph snarled, "I could use some live targets!" He turned towards the side of the roof. "Let's go get our brother back!"

"**WAIT.**" The tone of Leo's voice stopped Raphael in his tracks. "We go after Shredder as soon as we know how to get in there and not die."

"So we wait?!" Raph sneered. "That's the plan from our great leader?"

"I can try to hack the Foot central database, with April's help. It'll take a few hours, though."Donnie volenteered.

"Then it's settled. We move tonight." Leonardo turned to face the rising sun. "And Shredder will know once and for all what happens when he decides to come after us."

He leapt, and vanished into the shadows.

Mike opened his eyes to a diamond-filled sky, with touches of purple and pink. He looked over to find Phoenix on one hand, upside-down on top of the dresser on the other side of the room. She opened one eye, and smiled.

"I was wondering when you'd come out of it." She flipped herself right-side-up. "Sometimes it can take a while before things start to make sense."

"Wow..." He looked out the window again. "Uh, how long was I, um..." he trailed off, not sure how to describe it.

"Ah. You mean in 'the zone', right?" She glanced at her wrist, "About ten hours, give or take a few minutes. The sun will be coming up soon."

"TEN HOURS?!" Mike stared at her. "How the shell did that happen? I can barely stay focused for ten _minutes_ let alone ten hours!"

" TEN HOURS." She insisted. "That only happens when there's something in you that needs to be seen and studied right away." Phoenix looked at him curiously. "What was on your mind?"

Mike looked at her with apprehension. "No one's ever tried to tell me I that I don't have to be my brothers." He stared up at her. "That who I am is who I'm ment to be...and it's right for me to be. And," he finished, "that who I am is enough."

To his surprise, her smile widened, and she nodded. " Lesson Two in self-worth." Phoenix looked out the window. "Get some sleep, Mike. We can talk more later, but right now you need to rest and heal." She pulled down the window shades, and quietly left.

Michelangelo leaned back, and tried to settle in, but felt a surprising stab of guilt. He didn't want to _rest_, he realized, he wanted to _learn more_! He wanted to find out everything she'd told him about himself was true. 'Tomorrow.' the thought, and closed his eyes.

"How are we doing Don?" Leo asked at noontime.

"We've managed to disable the main security protocols, and we're working our way through the files." He explained, "Everything on here is passworded. It's not something you can rush; but," Donnie looked at the screens, "so far, there's no mention of Mikey."

"Then you just haven't found it yet," Raph growled, "There's gotta be something that explains that fight the other night!" He paced the training area.

"We're working as fast as we can!" Don snapped.

"Well, maybe this is a waste of time, when we should be taking the fight to them!" Raph slammed his fist into his practice bag so hard it ripped open, spilling sawdust all over the floor.

"Raphael!" Splinters' voice carried through the lair. He stepped out the shadows, and Raph turned.

"Sensei, we can't keep waiting for something to happen!" Raph ground out. "We should catch one of those foot punks, and MAKE then tell us what they know!"

To his surprise, Splinter nodded. "Yes."

Leo's mouth dropped open. "What?!"

Splinter turned, and looked at him. "Rather than invading foot headquarters, if you where to capture one of Oroku Saki's lieutenants, we may find what we need. Donatello?" He questioned, "Can you locate Chris Bradford, or Xever on the computers?"

"Yeah, I think so... No." He paused. "Oh, wait. They've got different names... Dog-Pound and Fish-Face... Xever isn't in town, according to this, but Bradford is."

"Then we find him," Leo spoke up, "And we find out where Mikey is."

Darkness slowly claimed the city again, and Phoenix found herself staring out at the night. She had filled her day with work and caring for Michelangelo, running herself ragged. Mike was still asleep, she knew, and again, it eluded her. Her body demanded rest, but her mind refused to be silenced. It kept going, yelling for her to run, and forget this place. Part of her agreed... this city was dangerous now that Oroku Saki knew she was here. Even more so, were her feelings for Michelangelo; the protectiveness, the desire for friendship. She slipped outside onto the roof, and opened herself to the night. The sounds, the feelings swirled around her at a dizzying pace. There was so much life here, and so much suffering.

'Why here?' she wondered. The monastery in the Himalayas had been the most peaceful place in the world, she remembered, 'So HOW is it that this city is the one place where I can _feel at peace_?' Was it because, for the first time, some one cared? Someone _wanted_ to be in her life?

'NO,' She told herself for the tenth time, 'I ican't/i make friends.' Friends would break down her control, and put others at risk. But without even meaning too... she knew she already had.

And even the dark couldn't tell her what to do about it now.

In a dim back ally, a group of Foot ninja moved silently and crept into a darkened warehouse. The mutant 'Dog-Pound', once called Chris Bradford, led them in, moving far more quietly and gracefully than most beings his size would be able too. They slipped through the security alarms, and pulled out the crate that Dog-pound had motioned to. As they moved their ill-gotten gains towards the door, three shadows fell across them. The soldiers looked up to see a flash of green; it was the last thing they saw.

A dozen ninja flew into assorted pallets of boxes and crates. Dog-Pound turned around with a snarl, recognizing his opponents.

"Well, well!" He smiled menacingly, baring his teeth. "The idiot brothers!"

"Where's Michelangelo?!" Leo demanded.

"The annoying one?" He looked around expectantly, "YOU tell me!"

"Like you don't know, tough guy!" Raphael growled back, and lunged at at him.

Dog-Pound dodged, and let Raph smash into a crate. "Temper, temper!" He snarled with a laugh. "You realize this isn't a fair fight..." He arched an eyebrow, "You really should have brought some more friends!" He swept out a clawed hand, and came inches from Donnie's face, and backhanded Leo into a pallet jack. Raph stood up behind Dog-Pound, and nodded to Don.

Donatello ducked, and swung his bow-staff out at the same time, catching Bradford in the ankles. With a surprised howl, Dog-Pound reeled backwards into the wall. As he tried to stand, Raphael leapt, and pinned his wrists to the wall with his sai's.

Dog-Pound glared at them. "Is there a point to this, or are you planning to wait for the police to arrive, and discover all of us?"

Leonardo unsheathed his Katanas, and regarded Bradford coldly. "The point is, we know what happened the other night."

"You need to be more specific. There've been a half-dozen raids in the last week alone." Dog-Pound taunted. "What one?"

"This isn't a joke!" Leo spun around, and embedded one blade in the wall next to Dog-Pounds head. "There was a rumble six nights ago, an ambush. What happened to our brother?! BWHERE IS MICHELANGELO?/B"

Bradford shook his head. "You're a boy scout, Leo. You're not about to do anything to me." He scoffed. 'He's bluffing...again.' He thought.

Leo brought his other blade up to Bradford's' throat, and held it an inch away. "One time I threatened to throw you off a building, and I bluffed. Not this time." Dog-Pound looked into Leonardo's eyes, and saw desperate fury; He glanced at the others, and saw the same thing.

'Oh SHIT. He's serious!' he thought. "I wasn't there." His voice growled out. "Master Shredder decided to handle that mission himself."

A image of Mikey trying to take on The Shredder alone leapt into Raphs' mind. "What happened?!" He demanded. "_Why_ go after him?!"

"Michelangelo wasn't the one Master Shredder was after." Dog-Pound spoke clearly. "Your brother decided to take the side of an enemy of the foot. The Foot where tracking someone known as Fushicho." He paused. "He had no right or reason to interfere."

"Where is he?" Leo watched his face as he spoke.

"I don't know." Bradford answered honestly. "The Foot did not take him."

"Could he be with this Fushicho person?" Donatello questioned, "If Mikey had helped them..."

"He would be better off in the hands of the clan." He replied flatly. "Fushicho is skilled, powerful, beautiful..." He closed his eyes for a moment, "... and is completely insane."

"What do you mean?" Leo's voice came out as a whisper. "WHO is Fushicho?"

Dog-Pound let out a slow breath as Leo trembled with barley-suppressed rage.

"Fushicho," Bradford finally replied, "Is a former member of the Foot. She was the most promising warrior in the entire Japanese sector, and Master Shredder treated her like his own child. She was fiercely loyal to the Foot; She considered all of us her family. I knew her..." his voice trailed off for a moment, "..or at least I thought I did."

Dog-Pound paused, and swallowed hard. "She can go from acting like your best friend to a total psychopath in minutes. If her control breaks, she becomes more than a warrior... she becomes a force of nature." He looked at them meaningfully. "A Bdeadly one/B. That other half? It's like a completely different person is part of her. One that is cruel, destructive, and full of hate."

"Four years ago, she...a security officer during a raid was killed by her... and she disappeared." He continued. "If your brother is still here, It's because she hasn't lost control. And knowing that moron," He finished, "He could push the wrong button at a bad time."

"How do you know all of this?" Donatello demanded suddenly. "About her?" He turned to his brothers. "I think he's lying."

"NO." Dog-Pound denied. "You may not want to believe it, but it's the truth. Before I was _THIS_," he stated, "I trained and fought along side her." He glared at them. "I _LOVED HER_, and she... she pushed me away... and didn't want anything to do with me. I thought it was because I wasn't Japanese, but then I saw what happened. I SAW her change that night, from the girl I loved into a monster." His eyes clouded with memories. "Not physically. She was still beautiful, but the person she became was chilling."

Bradford paused, "Master Shredder, though, thought it was a wonderful thing. She was cunning, ruthless, and every bit as deadly as he was." He let his words sink in. "And now she's loose in New York, with your dumb-as-a-rock brother on one hand, and the Foot on the other." He shook his head. "And..."

Before he could continue, red and blue flashing lights swirled through the frosted glass windows, and sirens filled the air.

"Oh SHELL!" Raph exclaimed, and pulled his sai's out of the wall.

"Police! We have the place surrounded! Come out with your hands up!" A voice boomed through a megaphone. A moment later it yelled again. "ALLRIGHT! We're coming in!"

The cops kicked in the closed door, and shone their flashlights around. The warehouse was empty.

Leo peered over the roof ledge, and they took off running. When they reached the sewers, Raph slid to a stop.

"Leo, are we sure about this?" He asked, "Trusting what Bradford said? Everything he told us could be a lie!"

"But it could be the truth." Leo replied. "We can't take that chance, not with Mikey's LIFE... even if it would mean believing the Devil."


	7. Chapter 7

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Phoenix sat out on the roof and focused her mind on the flame and the void as she meditated. 'Control, peace, balance.' she repeated to herself. 'Remain in control of it at all times. Never let **it** control you.' She frowned as she thought about what she'd been taught about herself. 'Emotions ruin my ability to remain in control.' she thought. Mike was perfect example, she decided. He made her laugh, and smile and FEEL, and...

God, was it _really_ just a matter of time before something happened? Come to think of it, shouldn't something have happened already?

Mike's mind touched hers as he slept, and she suddenly held her breath and went immobile. Even her heartbeat seemed to come to a standstill. She felt his peace, his hope in what she'd talked to him about... and to her shock, _his trust in her_? Something wet and warm tickled her face, sliding down her cheek to the corner of her mouth. She tasted salt.

_'A tear?'_ Phoenix jerked out of her meditation pose, and fell back against the hard roof.

Appalled, confused, and humiliated, she ran her hands over her face. 'This shouldn't be possible!' Phoenix felt her body convulse at the thought of letting her control slip. 'NO.' she told herself. 'Mike is right downstairs, and I'm not going to hurt him!' In an instant, the feeling was gone, replaced with a firm resolve, stronger than it had ever been before. Suddenly her heart began to punch with near violence, but not in fear.

She lay back on the damp rooftop, and stared up at the endless darkness. 'Could they have been wrong?' she thought in panicked wonder, 'Maybe... maybe...' Phoenix felt something warm and real swelling up within her; not painful, but different, and REAL. 'He lied about that too.' she felt goose-bumps break out on her skin that had nothing to do with the wet night.

Caring didn't ruin her control, or perception... it enhanced it? Another tear slid down her face, but this time she didn't reach to wipe it away; followed by another and another.

Wet tracks caught the moonlight on her skin as she looked up at the stars and laughed, for no reason other than she **could.**

Splinter remained silent as his son's recounted what Bradford had told them.

"So we have another person in this problem." He finally spoke. "This Fushicho could be a lie, or a being even more dangerous than Oroku Saki." He turned to Donatello. "Can you check the Foot computers for mention of her?"

"Already on it, Sensei." Donnie stood, and went back to his computers. "If she _was_ in the clan, there should be a file of some kind on what happened." He looked up to find Leo and Raph standing behind him. "If you're not helping, you're slowing me down. Back off and let me work!"

"OK, ok! " Raph put his hands up and walked away. "Put up a sign: 'Genius at work" he said sarcastically. 'Hurry up and wait! That's all we do!' He thought. 'At this rate we'll NEVER find...' Raph stopped in mid-thought. 'NO, we're going to find him! We HAVE to!' He walked into the practice ring, and saw his destroyed punching bag. "Arg!" He exclaimed, and stormed off towards his room.

As he passed Mikeys' room he stopped, and looked inside. After a few seconds deliberation, he went in. 'What a pigsty.' Raph smiled, 'Good thing Sensei doesn't give us extra chores based on our rooms, or Mikey'd never have time for his video-games!' Suddenly, the smile fell from his face.

_'Yes, well, Video-games are probably a moot point by now!'_ A nasty little voice in the back of his mind whispered. _'Not quite STRONG enough to keep him safe, where you?' _ It continued, as he looked at himself in the mirror. _'Or he wouldn't be in so much trouble!' _

Raphael turned, and pulled put his sai's. With a sound that was between a growl and a roar, he spun around and stabbed the glass. He struck again and again, until every piece of mirror was shattered on the floor. The nail that had been holding the frame slipped out of the wall, dropping what was left of the mirror nearly on Raphs' feet. He jumped back, and let out a quite breath.

Then, the brick that had been holding the nail slid from the wall, and landed on Raphs' left toes. "OW! Oh, DAMMIT!" He shouted, hopping around on one foot.

"Raph, you ok?" Donnie called out from his lab.

"Yeah, I ALWAYS yell when everything's fine! Whadda you think?!" He returned with a shout. He sat down on Mike's bed and rubbed his foot.

"Just checking." Don replied sarcastically.

Raph stood, and picked up the brick that had bruised him. He entertained the thought of throwing it at Donnie, but set it down. 'No,' he thought, 'Making Don cry like a girl might be fun, but it won't help us find Mikey.' He went to put the brick back, and stopped. There was a space behind where the brick had fallen out, about the size of a small shoebox... with something in it. He reached in, and pulled it out. 'What the...?' He wondered.

"Guys? Sensei?" He walked out into the practice room. "I think you should see this."

In his hand, Raphael held a dog-eared journal, with 'MICHELANGELO' scratched into the bottom of the old leather cover.

Michelangelo woke up with a loud yawn, and carefully stretched. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and tried to stand up. To his surprise, they held, and carried him to the bathroom on his own. A few minutes later, he walked into the hall outside his room. The carpet was thick, and the lights where warm.

He wandered along, finding a beautiful apartment; Even living in the sewers he could tell that the electronics in the living room where expensive. There where two rooms that were locked, so he let them be.

'Open doors are one thing,' he thought, 'but I'm in no condition to do daylight breaking & entering!' He followed the main hall, and found one more door. It opened to a gentle push and what he saw astounded him. 'Holy crap!'

The door lead to a huge room with glass walls and a glass ceiling. There was a lush oasis of green foliage and tropical flowers, as well as a shimmering pool fed by a quietly gurgling waterfall. Michelangelo sat down on a large flat rock near the waters' edge and listened. It was peaceful here, as if nothing bad could happen, or as if problems weren't as bad as they seemed. He smiled and went into the first of seated Ti-chi poses. He didn't notice the other door on the far side of the room coming out of the one non-glass wall. It opened, and Phoenix stepped out of her dojo, blinking as she walked into the sunlight.

"I was going to come wake you up." She spoke as she saw Mike.

He looked up and smiled. "I wasn't sure where you were, and I didn't want to bother you." And this place..." He gestured around them, "...it's amazing."

She nodded. "I've always enjoyed having a place that gives me so much joy in addition to peace." She shrugged. "I like having a place that helps me stay calm... and happy."

"You know, I've met a few ninja that thought like, 'Oh, you're not training, so you must be a failure!' whenever I wanted to do something that made me happy." He thought for a moment, 'But it's video-games and comic books that make me happy. Is that, y'know, wrong?"

"If your happiness dose not harm anyone, how can they object?" She inquired, and sat next to him. Phoenix sighed, and smiled sadly. "I too have known so many people, ninjas or not, that treated happiness like a waste of time. I should know..." She paused for a moment, "For a long time, I was one of them. But I know now, that pushing onwards towards a goal, and ignoring everything happening around you is stupid."

"Because what happens around you is important, even if you don't notice it?" Mike finished hesitantly.

She stared at him. "Exactly. What made you say that?"

"It... it just popped into my head. Why?" He replied in surprise.

"Nothing... I... I just wasn't expecting you to use those words. But.." Phoenix smiled, "You understand what I mean. The desire for power causes many to lose the few things that make it worth being alive." She stood, and looked at him. "You can walk without help already." She changed the subject. "You may have a shorter recovery time than I thought."

To her surprise, Mikey's face fell. "How much shorter?" he asked.

"I don't know yet." She searched his face with her eyes. "Why?"

"I... I have something to ask you." Michelangelo got up. "It's... I want to see things the way you do. I want to understand myself." He tried to explain. "I need to know that there's someone inside of me that I can like, but more than that... _respect_."

"Hamato Michelangelo," Phoenix stopped him, "I owe you a debt, and I will help you any way I can. What is it you're asking me?"

He took a deep breath. "Teach me." At her expression, he hurried on. "I've never felt like I was strong enough or good enough or smart enough to be a real warrior. And in the couple days I've known you, I... I feel like it might be possible." Mike spoke earnestly. "I want to learn. From you." She still didn't speak. "And besides, Sensei was going to send me to train with someone else anyways. Why not you?"

"Why not me?" She snapped out of the surprised stance she'd been in. "Mike, there are things about me you don't know...things that I...I didn't want to tell you." Phoenix turned away. "But I owe you the truth." She closed her eyes.

"I told you I grew up as a member of the foot, and for the first half of my life I was normal. Around the time I turned 13, something inside me changed. There's a... a force, that's part of who I am. It only comes out at cirtin times. When I, or someone else is in serious danger, or I'm desperate." She let out a shaky breath. "You wanted to know how we got away the other night? It was because SHREDDER was afraid of what I would do." She bit her lower lip and continued. "I can control it most of the time, but it's there, ready to come out. I'm dangerous... and It's not safe for anyone to be around me."

" Oroku Saki thinks that it's a spirit that's inside of me... and I let him believe that. It's not though. It's just me." She continued, "It's why I took the name 'Phoenix'... it's what I am. That part of me? It's... fire and wind and raw power." She finished. "And I don't ever want to see you hurt, especially not by me. And I'm afraid...afraid of what could happen, what I could become."

Phoenix didn't look at him. The last thing she wanted to see, was fear in Michelangelo's eyes. His hand slid under her chin, tipped her face up, and forced her to meet his gaze. What she saw was like a punch to the diaphragm. He was staring at her with... _Pride_?

"You're amazing." Mikey said seriously. 'She doesn't know! She can't see it.' he realized. "With all the things you've been through, with all the power you have, you're still... you!" He smiled. "You could have tried to take over the world, or become a criminal mastermind, but you're not!" He squeezed her hands. "You are who you're suppose to be." He quoted her back. "Will you teach me?"

"Mike, I..." Suddenly she laughed out loud. "I would be honored." She opened the door she'd come out of before and lead him into a fully equipped Dojo. "You've accepted that you don't have to be your brothers, and I'm trying to accept what I am. Accepting your own potential is half the battle. Learning to use it, learning to fulfill who you're meant to be is the other." Phoenix sat on the matted floor. "Shall we begin?"

"Raph, what is..." Leo began to speak, but at the sight of the book he went quiet. "Where did you find that?" He finally asked.

"There's a hiding place in the wall in Mikeys' room. I...found it by accident." Raph replied. "I thought there might be something in here that could help us find him."

"Unlikely." April's voice cut through the lair. "He's been writing in that for years. He hasn't been home since last week," She glared, "And none of you knew this 'Fushicho', so I wouldn't read it."

"HOW do you know how long he's been keeping a diary?" Donatello asked in surprise. "You knew he was doing that?" He frowned. 'What's going on between her and Mikey?' he wondered.

"Well... it was my idea." She shrugged. "He was trying to learn to write better, so I told him how some people write down what happened to them every day, their thoughts and feelings. I guess he thought it was a good idea." April took the journal from Raph, turned and looked at all of them. "Would you want everyone knowing if you had been scared, or worried, or so sad you'd cried?" She looked at Raphael. "If Spike could talk, would you want your brothers to know everything you'd ever said to him?" At his expression, she continued, "I think you all know that reading this would be like spying on a friend. It's private."

"April's right," Leonardo nodded in agreement, "It won't help us any." April handed him the diary, and he turned away. "We put it back, and forget about it." He walked to Mikey's room and shoved the book back into it's hiding place, and shoved the brick back into it's hole. "Leave it alone guys."

"Fair enough." Raph replied, "I don't have much faith in Mikey's writing anyways.

"Let's see if Donnie's' come up with anything." Leo walked back to the practice room, smiling to himself; "Hey Don! Any luck?" The journal was neatly tucked into his shell.

"In my experience there's no such thing as luck." Donatello replied. "But yes. I found her file... or what's left of it."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Raph demanded. "Was Dog-Pound telling us the truth, or not?!"

Donnie tapped the keyboard, and pulled up a file on the main computer screen. Half of it wasn't readable. "Some of this is still encrypted, but It looks like there WAS a member of the foot named 'Fushicho', that vanished four years ago. There's nothing I can find on that 'turned into a monster' story yet, so he may have made that up just to mess with our heads. If the Foot is looking for her, they may think that we'll do the legwork and find her for them."

"Can you get the rest of the file?" Leonardo asked, "And see if they have a picture of this Fushicho... I want to know what she looks like."

"We're on it." April nodded. "But from what I've seen so far, they don't keep images of their ninjas. Plausible deniability, I guess, in case someone got caught."

"I'm gonna go spar." Raph shrugged. "Leo, you coming?"

"No." Splinter spoke from the back of the room. "You all have been working for days with almost no rest." He looked at them. "Take 2 hours, and sleep. Sunset is not for another 8 hours."

"But...SENSEI!" Raph protested. "Mikey's out there!"

"Yes, and you will do your brother no good if you are so exhausted you cannot even fight!" Splinter frowned.

"Yes, Sensei." Leonardo finally replied. "I'm going to lay down." He walked to his room, and pulled the blanket that served as a door closed. He pulled out Mikey's journal, and stared at it. His hand moved to the cover, and paused.


	8. Chapter 8

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"I thought we could start with the fundamentals, and build on those," Phoenix explained as Mikey sat down across from her. "I know you've got meditation down, but how is your grasp of Tai-chi?"

"Oh, that stuff you do in slow motion?" Mike made a face. "I'm ok with the stuff you do sitting down, but when ever I stand up, I want to move."

"Then we'll work on that. Later you can call you're brothers, if you want?" She suggested. Mikey's only response was to nod. "As for Tai-chi, maybe you should try it this way." She stood, walked to a set of buttons on the wall, and turned on a stereo. Music with a deep base beat, and a funk-rhythm vibe flowed into the room from hidden speakers. "A little music go's a long way toward letting the motions flow smoothly."

"Whoa, time out!" Mikey looked at her. "We can do that?"

"Last time I checked, you wanted to do this my way. This is how _I_ do Tai-chi." She winked. "Let's start slow, and see how your side feels in an hour or so. I don't want to risk ripping those stiches." She helped him to his feet, and went into the first stance. "Watch your form, but don't try to be a statue." Phoenix smiled, and went into 'Horse Mane' pose. "Remember, Tai-chi is about defense, but also letting go of stress and confusion. Relax..." They moved in tandem into 'Wild Crane'.

'I shouldn't read this,' Leonardo thought, 'But there might be a clue in here we need...Oh, who'm I trying to fool? ' He frowned, 'I want to know what Mike thought about me. About me being the teams' leader, even with everything that's happened.' Leo turned out his light, crawled under his blankets with a flashlight, and opened the book.

He skimmed over a lot of the entries, (Some went on for pages about video-game scores), until one entry caught his attention. He looked at the date, and realized it was the first time they had faced The Shredder.

_'We just got home.'_ He read, _'It's weird to write this, but tonight I wasn't sure I would ever be able to say that again. Tonight, we saw __HIM__. Now I know why Splinter was so worried that we might attract some attention. I've never been so scared ... or so ashamed.'_

Leo shook his head as he turned the page. "What is THAT about?" he muttered to himself, and continued to read.

_'I was playing with those stupid smoke bombs all day, and then, when we needed one I screwed up. __AGAIN!__' _The last word was underlined so harshly that the page was nearly torn. _'I almost got us all killed! Leo was so brave. He just stood there and looked at Shredder like he was Captain Ryan facing down the evil Lord Duras! I mean, we all got our shells handed to us, but Leonardo NEVER backed down. I get why Sensi made him the leader. At least I get why it wasn't me.'_

Leonardo flipped through the next couple entries, when his name caught his eye. The next words seemed to stop his heart.

_'It's late, and I can't sleep. Leo's been having nightmares ever since we fought The Shredder, and tonight was no exception_.' Leo jerked upward in surprise. _'I woke him up again, and now he's sleeping, but it must've been a really bad one tonight. Normally he just shakes it off and tells me go to bed, but tonight he sat there and __cried.__'_ For a moment, Leonardo had to close his eyes to stop his hands from trembling. Finally, he opened them, and continued.

_'I stayed with him, but he won't talk to me about what happened. He's so brave, but knowing that he feels fear and knowing that he... that he just __FEELS__ things is kind of a miracle. He's so serious that sometime I wasn't sure if he COULD feel.'_

Leo stared at those words. 'Mikey thought I had no feelings?' He shook his head, and kept going. '_He made me promise not to tell anyone, and I know I goof off, but I wouldn't ever tell anyone about any of this. So you, my paper friend can listen to me, cause that's not really telling.' _Leo rolled his eyes. 'Unless they find your diary!' he thought. _ 'Leo doesn't get that I know, that even with everything that's happened, Leo is more of a leader than I could EVER hope to be.'_

Leo sat there in shocked amazement, and shut the journal with a snap. 'Only Mikey could take me being so weak, and turn it into something good!' He thought. Guilt suddenly flooded him, and he felt his face flush at the thought of someone finding out what he'd read... or the fact that _he_ had read it.

He stood, and slipped into the shadows to return the book. Leo slid into Mike's room, and eased the brick out of the wall. He replaced the book, and put the brick back in without a sound; Then silently snuck back to his room.

Minutes later, another figure moved through the dark. Raph went to the wall, and after a moment, he had the diary, with the wall looking exactly the same.

In his own room, Raphele thumbed through the book. There wasn't nearly as much 'stupid' as he'd expected. He glanced at the pages, waiting to find something about himself. After a little more looking, he found it; and entry from the year before.

_'Raph snuck out again tonight, by himself. He pretends like he hasn't been if you ask him about it, but that's what he dose. He won't talk to anyone about what's going on, and I'm worried.'_

Raph's eyes went wide. 'Wait, Mikey knew about that?' He wondered. 'And HE was the one worried? That's just weird!'

_'Usually, if I can get him angry enough, all comes out,'_ the words continued, _'But not this time. He came home with a bruise that looked like a hockey-puck on his head, and he just told me to get lost! If he HAS been out getting into fights, I want to help him.' _

'Mikey, help? Yeah, right!' Raph thought. 'He needs help himself, most of the time!' He knew what Mikey was talking about... That had been when he'd gone out looking for the local hockey-mask-wearing vigilante.

_'But he wouldn't want me there anyways. I'm always getting into trouble, according to Raph. Sometimes I don't know if he'll ever get it.__ I DON'T NEED HIM TO PROTECT ME!_' The last sentence was harshly underlined. _'I'm not the same turtle I was when we first came to the surface two years ago; I'm not the idiot that thought Chris Bradford really wanted to be my friend anymore. I'm different, and my best friend can't see it. He still sees me as a 15-year-old kid.'_

'Best friend?' Raph re-read those words. 'Mikey...' He read the next paragraph.

_'So I wait for him to leave, and I sneak out alone. If I'm alone, there's no one to disappoint, no one to tell me that I'm not as strong or as fast, or as good a fighter. I can't be the strong one.'_ It finished. _'That's Raphs' turf.'_

Raphael felt stunned, humbled, and then furious at the guilt that ate at him like acid. 'I should've gone with him, kept him safe!' He brooded, 'Whether or not he thinks he needs it, we're brothers. It's what we do.'

Raph padded back to Mikey's room, and replace the journal. Then, he disappeared into his room, as the thoughts of what he'd read circled him. He didn't notice the sound of approaching footfalls.

Donatello had tossed and turned until he finally gave in to the curiosity. He needed to know what his baby brother really thought about him. Night-vision goggles on, Don did a quick sweep of the lair. Everyone seemed to be in their rooms. In a less that 3 minutes Donnie had the book, and slid into his room with it. He saw a entry from only a few months ago, with _his_ own name, and Aprils, and began to read.

_'Don just re-fitting the new Shell-raiser. it is SWEET! (But we better hope no Cops pull us over, or we'll all get arrested for illegal weapons possession! LOL!) It's hard to believe everything Donnies' built in his lab. April's been trying to explain what some things that Don's been talking about mean. I'm not sure how you can base a security system on it, but I totally get what 'Fibanchie Number sequence' means now!'_

Don stopped reading for a moment, and just stared. 'He cannot really know what that means!' He thought.

_'It makes sense, the way April explained it_.' Don continued, feeling a touch of jealously. _'1 is your starting number, with the next number being the previous 2 added together! She showed me it online. It turns out that this number sequence is actually everywhere, like in crystals, or flowers. I'm not telling Donnie I understand it though. It's like reading Shakespeare.'_

Donatello almost dropped the book. 'This CANNOT be Mikey!' Disbelief slapped him harshly.

_'I haven't told anyone I've been reading anything other than comic books. They'd just make bad jokes. Every time I say something intelligent, I make a joke so it sounds like an accident. They all think I'm too dumb to think for myself, even Master Splinter... And sometimes I agree with them. Maybe I should stop fighting it. Donnie's the smartest one here. That's not about to change._'

Donatello looked at the black ink on the ivory paper. Michelangelo thought everyone expected him to be an idiot, so that's how he behaved? 'My God...' He thought in shock, 'What did we do?' Don frowned, and couldn't get the book back to it's hiding place fast enough.

In the stillness of the darkened lair, all three brothers lay awake in silence. Confusion, guilt, and surprise drifted through each of their minds as they tried to understand what they'd found.

Master Splinter did not attract any attention, remaining invisible and noiseless. Soon, he had the old book in his hands, and sat in his meditation room. He did not know if any of his sons had read it, but knew he must. He sat, opened the book to the first page, and began to read.


	9. Chapter 9

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"Ok, I think that's enough Tai-chi for today," Phoenix turned off the music, "I should check your stiches."

Mikey looked surprised. "Already? I thought we were gonna practice for a hour?"

"It's BEEN an hour, Mike." She arched an eyebrow. "Felt like less, didn't it?" She opened the inner door, and walked down the hall to his room.

He nodded and followed. Phoenix unwrapped his side, and wiped down the wound, checking the stiches as she went.

"Hm. Well, maybe pizza has curative properties after all." She smiled as she re-wrapped his injury.

"Say what?" Mikey looked at her in confusion.

"I was kidding." She teased. "What I meant was you're healing fine. We could even do a little sparring today, if you feel up to it."

"Spar with you? Shell yeah! Let's go!" He tried to jump to his feet.

"Whoa, take it easy. You need to take it slow; We'll spar in a couple hours. I have some work to do, so in the meantime, feel free to watch some tv, or raid my movie collection." She turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?" He asked quickly. "Can I come with you?" His eyes widened as he realized what he'd said. 'Great way to sound like a needy kid, dummy!'

"I'm just going to my studio." She looked at him. "Do you want to see it?"

"Uh, yeah, that is, if it won't bother you..." Mikey's voice trailed off as she shot him a look.

"If it was going to bother me, I would'nt've asked if you wanted to see it. I was working on a painting the other night, and I think I might finish it today." Phoenix glanced at him, and led him to the other locked door.

She slid a key from a chain around her neck, and opened it. The studio room was small, but with high ceilings and big windows looking out over central park. On an easel was a painting, half done. Swirls of red and black dominated the canvas, touched with silver and grey. No face or form was shown, but a feeling of danger and pain seemed to radiate from it.

Mike looked at it, and turned to her. "You painted Shredder?" He turned back to the canvas.

"How did you know what or who it's suppose to be?" She watched him curiously.

"Well, who else could it be?" He gestured to the painting. "It may not_ look_ like him when you see him; But if you've fought him, you would know who this is." Mike shook his head. "Pure evil, with a spirit as black as an abyss."

"Mike," Phoenix spoke, the tone of her voice shifting, "You're a poet. And insightful. Yes, after our little fight the other night, I decided, no," She corrected herself, "I _needed_ to purge those bad feelings from me, and this is usually the best way."

"So you use a brush to paint a persons' soul?" He asked. "That's amazing!"

"Paint their soul?" Phoenix responded thoughtfully. "I never thought of it that way, but... maybe... maybe you're right." She laughed softly. "I've never been able to paint anything the way it looks to the eyes, only the way it makes me, or someone else feel."

"So you're going to finish it today?" Mike questioned, "Can I watch?"

"I don't think I'm going to work on this today after all." She decided, and pulled it down. "I think," She continued, covering it with a drop-cloth, "I'd rather paint something a little less... disturbing, today." She set up a new canvas. "And you can help me with it."

"ME?" Mike looked at her in surprise. "I don't know anything about art!"

"All you have to do is talk to me." Phoenix opened her paints, and pulled out a set of brushes. "Tell me..." She paused,

"Tell me about one of your brothers."

"OK... which one?" He asked, and sat down in a armchair across from her.

"Pick one." She squeezed paint onto her pallet. "And tell me about them."

"Well... the first time we came to the surface, we had alot of trouble with some alien brains in robot bodies. That's how Leo became our leader." He stopped, and looked at her.

"Tell me that story, Mike." She didn't look at him, but at the blank canvas before her. "Tell me all your stories." She picked up a brush, and dipped it in the paint.

"All right." He smiled, "It all started on our 15th mutation day..."

Splinter read for hours. The journal was daily in some places, and then it would skip weeks before another entry was made. In the background, he heard his sons get up, and continue their search for the one called 'Fushicho'. He though, remained in his meditation room; the door closed. Leo glanced at it, but walked past. NO ONE interrupted Master Splinters' meditation.

"Hey Don! How's that de-cryption program doing?" Leo asked as he came into the main room. 'I feel like I have a neon sign flashing on my head! Man, WHY did I have to read that?!' He wondered to himself. 'No one else had better read that... God, I'd never hear the end of it from Raph!'

Donnie glanced up, and felt himself flush. "It's running, but it's not done yet. It'll be a bit before I can read anything." His response was clipped. 'Dose it show?' He wondered. 'Can they tell?' He bit the inside of his mouth and gave a fake smile to April as she walked past.

Raph was beating up his newly re-stuffed and duct-taped bag. "So again, we WAIT!" He growled, alternating between punches and round-house kicks. "I am so SICK of waiting! I want to break something!" He felt a slow muscle burn begin in his arms, and he welcomed it. 'I didn't do anything, I only read about me, so why I should I feel guilty?' He thought defensively. 'Not that I feel guilty... I DON'T!' He kicked again.

Even Splinter hadn't expected what he'd found in the journal. He found his youngest son's words to be a paradox; Michelangelo wanted to be a warrior, a ninja, but at the same time, he WAS a child that wanted joy, and wanted to believe in the good in the world. He respected each of his brothers, if in his own way, and _Revered_ his father.

He finally reached the last entry in the long saga of the last three years of their lives. Parts of the pages were smudged, and a little difficult to read. It was dated 10 days before Mikey disappeared.

_' I overheard Master Splinter talking to Leo. Apparently, everything I've ever been told about myself is true. Sensei just told Leo that I'm not learning fast enough with him, and he wants to send me away. Why? __WHY__ am I such an idiot?' _ Splinter stared. 'Michelangelo had heard that conversation?' he wondered.

_'I understand, I guess. I'm not as good as anyone else on the team, and I'm always putting us in danger. But don't they know I know that I'm stupid? That I'm lazy, and careless? Did Splinter have to talk to LEO about it? It's bad enough Sensei thinks I'm worthless, but now Leo dose too. Why can't I be more like him, like ANY of them?!' _The words where written harshly. _ 'I haven't told Don or Raph what I heard... They'd probably just agree with Leo and Splinter; that is, if they don't already know. And I don't want to talk to April about it... the last thing I want is pity. I guess the thing that hurts the most is that I'm the last person to know that my life as I knew it is going to be over.'_

The entry spilled over onto the next page. _' Lately, I've been playing pranks as often as I can, and cracking jokes, because if I don't, I think I'll go crazy. If I don't, I'll focus on what's really going on, and I'm not sure if I can handle it. The truth is... I'm scared. ' _Splinter read the next words, and felt a cold fist settle in his chest.

_'I've been scared before, fighting the Krang, or Dog Pound. I've been terrified, fighting Shredder. But all of that's nothing compared to what I'm feeling right now._' It continued, _ 'At least then, I knew who or what to expect, but how... how do you fight an enemy when it's YOURSELF?' _ Splinter realized why some of the words where smudged.

Tears, he realized.

His son had cried in fear and loneliness, and felt that he could not tell anyone; Not his brothers, and cirtenly not his father... because his father had been the CAUSE.

For the first time in years, Master Splinter bowed his head, and wept.

**Many many thanks to my reviewers! Over 20 reviews in one week! Yay! [:]) **

**This is the first thing I check on my phone in the am! So please give me your honest option! **


	10. Chapter 10

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"...And so we ended up with our first human friend." Mikey finished the tale of their first encounters with the Krangg.

"April sounds like an amazing girl." Phoenix put down her brush, and stood to rinse her hands in the little sink in the room. "So she's a friend?" She dropped the brushes into a bowl of water.

"She's JUST a friend, but Donnie's wanted her to be more than a friend for _years_. Nothing ever happened, though... except that one time..." Mikey smiled, and gave her a wink, "But that's another story."

"Save it for later." Phoenix gestured for him to come around. "What do you think?" At his expression, she continued, "It's not done yet, it'll take a few more sessions."

"Wow..." Mike turned, and looked at her, "That's Leo, all right." There where swirls of green in various shades, blues, and touches of silver. It_ looked_ nothing like Leo, but still, it was.

"I think, when it's done, I'll call it "Shido-sha". It's Japanese for 'Leader'." She looked at him. "You inspire me, I guess. Will you tell me more of your stories tomorrow?"

"I have one condition." Mikey tried, and failed to hide the mischief in his eyes, "No Tofu?"

Phoenix burst out laughing. "Deal. I don't like the stuff anyways." She opened the door into the hall. "Do you still feel up to some sparring?"

"Uh, let me think...YEAH!" He laughed back.

"Remember, light sparring, I don't want you to get hurt." She walked with him, and went into the dojo. Phoenix pulled her hair up into a bun from her normal pony-tail, and stretched. "Unarmed, basic no-throw style, ok?" She took her stance, and Mike did the same. "Begin."

Her focus wasn't on her form as She moved sideways to avoid Mikey's lunges. Did he realize what had happened while she had painted? It hadn't just been words he'd given her. He'd almost made her cry from the emotions he'd been feeding her. He felt jealousy, yes, but his pride and confidence in his eldest brother was amazing. Despite everything that'd happened, he hadn't let it make him bitter, just sad; and he LOVED his brothers and father.

'Maybe that's it,' She thought, 'I've felt every emotion through other people, but Love? That's... different, and he's so full of it.' Phoenix barely ducked in time to avoid a fist. 'Is his family blind? Don't they see what a blessing he is, or how rare a warrior with a true heart is?'

Suddenly, her legs where swept out from under her, and she found herself looking at the celing. "Ooff."

"Are you ok?" Mikey looked a little worried. "I thought you where going to jump or something, I, uh, didn't think it'd knock you over..."

Phoenix felt an ugly retort and a flash of heat inside her. 'STOP IT!' She demanded to herself. 'We are NOT hurting him!' The force dissipated as quickly as it had come. She looked up at Mike, and took his out stretched hand.

"Sorry." She blushed. "I wasn't focused on what we were doing. Careless of me."

'Is that all?' Mikey thought. "You looked strange for a sec."

"I told you about what I have inside me... I have to keep a tight leash on it all the time." She explained. "Even something as simple as embarrassment can make it rear it's head." Phoenix sighed. "But I... I'm having a better time with it now."

Mike smiled. "I'm glad... do you want to keep going?" He waited for her response.

"Why not?" She smiled back. "The only thing bruised is my pride. I think it's safe to try again." She took the starting stance once more. "Begin."

After another 2 hours, the de-cyrption program was almost finished. April sat on the couch pretending to read a magazine, when her phone rang.

"Blocked number?! Guys!" She exclaimed. "Hello?" She answered.

"Hey April." Mikey smiled. "It's me again."

"Mikey!" April waved at Leo, and handed him the phone.

"Mike! Are you ok?" He demanded. "Where are you?"

"I'm fine, and I'm with a friend." Mike replied, without adding any details. 'Like I'd give you an address?' He thought.

"We ran into Dog-Pound the other night, and after we _convinced_ him, he said he thought you were with a ninja named Fushicho." Leonardo explained carefully. "Are you?" To his surprise, Mikey laughed.

He shook his head, and rolled his eyes. "She doesn't like being called that."

Leo felt his blood go cold. "Mike, listen to me. You HAVE to leave. If Dog-Pound was telling the truth, she could be more dangerous than Shredder!"

"She's not dangerous, Leo." Mike rubbed the side of his head. "Trust me. She wouldn't hurt me. She's... amazing." He defended her.

"Mikey! LISTEN TO ME!" Leonardo shouted into the phone, feeling panic building within him.

"NO, YOU LISTEN!" Mike interrupted him. "My God! WHY can't you believe me?! Is it too much to ask that you'd trust your BROTHER before one of Shredders' flunkies?!" He felt his face grow warm and closed his eyes. "Maybe it _IS_ too much to ask." He finished quietly. "I'll call next week, but I don't think I'll be coming home for a while. Tell Sensei... tell Sensei, he was right;" Mikey paused, "Training with someone else was EXACTLY what I needed. Goodbye." He hit 'end-call' but not before hearing Aprils phone hit the floor.

"Leo?!" April looked at his face. "Oh Leo...What, what happened?"

"He's with her." He replied, his voice barely audible. "Don... we have to find her. We find her, we find Mikey."

"Mike, are you all right?" Phoenix looked up as he re-entered the dojo, and saw his face. "What happened?"

"I talked to Leo. He, that is my brothers tracked down Dog-Pound..." He explained.

"Wait, Dog-who?" She cut in.

"Um, he used to be called Chris Bradford, anyways, and he told them about your... inner power?" He searched for the word. "Leo didn't believe me when I said you wouldn't hurt me." He frowned.

"Bradford. Now there's a name I remember." Her face twisted in a grimace. "Why do you call him 'Dog-Pound?" Phoenix asked.

"He got hit with the same mutagen that made me'n my bros like this, only he turned into a dog-mutant." Mike explained.

"Oookkkaaayyy... didn't know about that. So Bradford warned your brothers about me, huh?" She smiled. "That must've been an interesting conversation... and I understand your brothers' concern, although I find it odd that they _believed_ him."

"Well, they believed him more than they believe me. But that's normal." He tried to joke, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "But they'll figure it out when I'm NOT deep-fried or something, right?"

"Ancient Japanese Proverb:" She held up one finger. "When all else fails, prove them wrong." Phoenix smiled. "And you will."

'She always knows what to say." Mike thought. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know things." She replied. "And sadly, I don't think your brothers know how you've changed, either."

"True dat." He nodded. "Man, if you'd met me then, you NEVER would've agreeded to teach me. You would've run in the other direction!" He thought back. "I was such a moron, and I didn't even know it... I was... what's the word?" He wondered.

"Oblivious?" She suggested.

"Yeah, oblivious. I really thought I was hot stuff. Then, about a year later, I realized I wasn't even STUFF." He shrugged. "That was a bad month."

"Oh, I know how weird it can be to realize what you thought and what's real are two different things. When I figured out that I wasn't some kind of noble ninja, just a thief with fancy clothing... it shocked me. Not that I'd figured it out," She frowned, "But that it took me so long!" She shrugged. "I was an idiot not to know it sooner."

"Well then, we're a pair of _former_ idiots." Mikey smiled and touched her shoulder. " 'Cause I think we're both on the right track, now."

Phoenix nodded, and covered his hand with hers. "By Jove, I think he's got it!" She smiled. "You Hungary?"

"Always!" Mike exclaimed. "Pizza?"

"Nope." At his crest-fallen expression, she continued, "Have you ever had honest-to-god Italian food?"

"No, but April says it's good..." He didn't look convinced.

"Tell you what. I'm going to cook, and if you hate it, we'll order pizza." She compromised. "Deal?" She headed towards the kitchen.

"Deal!" He agreeded, and followed. 'Yeah, like there's a better food than pizza!'

The file was finally readable, and it looked like Dog-Pound had done the unthinkable.


	11. Chapter 11

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'Told the truth.' Donnie thought. "Holy shell..." he whispered. "Leo?" he tried to call out, but it came out as a croak. "LEO!" He tried again. "RAPH! You need to see this." His brothers were their in seconds, and he pulled up the complete file on 'Fushicho'. 

"It's not good, guys." He looked at the screen, and started reading.

"Incident dated August 12th, 2011. Raid successful, civilian loss, 1." Don cleared his throat, and continued. "Group leader underwent semi-mythical mental sift, showed marked increase in violence and rage. Abilities of unknown origin and limits shown. Security footage confiscated and archived."

"Footage?" Raph asked incredulously, "You mean there's a video?"

"Looks like it." Donnie's fingers flew across the keys, and found the infamous footage. "This is from a security camera, so I don't know what kind of quality images we're going to get."

"Who cares!" Leo interrupted, " Just play the darn thing!"

The video came up, and the three of them went silent.

__

The images were grainy, and faces were impossible to make out. One figure gleamed, a white-silver aura radiating from them. It was a foot ninja, coated in flame, but not burning. They gave a half-scream that was anything but human, and _threw__ a handful of fire at the far wall, blasting a hole... and jumped out._ The video went static.

"Mikey's with _her_?" Raph growled out, his hands shaking. "With _that_?!"

"We have to find him." Leo had gone pale. "We have to, before..." He couldn't finish the thought. "Is there anything to work with?"

"I got a closer trace on the phone the last time Mike called." Don nodded. "It gave us his location within a half-dozen square blocks."

"Oh, just a half-dozen?" Raph mocked. "CITY blocks, oh, no problem there!"

"I'm doing the best I can, dammit!" Donnie stood, and whirled around so hard he knocked his chair over. "If you think you can do better, help yourself!" He walked away.

"Don! Where are you going?!" Leo frowned.

"For a walk! We can't move for another hour anyways." Donatello left the lair, and walked through the sewers until he reached the main drain room.

The drain room was really a huge pipe, close to 40 feet across, and 100 feet strait down. Dozens of pipes dumped their liquids down it, and on any day, it was like hundreds of waterfalls running at once. Don jumped over to a cross-pipe that went from one wall to the other. It wasn't more than 18" wide, but Don sat, and forced himself to relax.

'OK, so it's not Niagara Falls,' He thought, 'But I'll take it.' Don closed his eyes and just listened to the sound. It was therapeutic, the thundering, crashing, swirling water, and he felt his mind give a sigh of relief. He hadn't been here since Mikey disappeared, and it was taking it's toll; And he was taking it out on his brothers.

'That's one good thing,' he smiled to himself, 'Leo and Raph don't know I come here, only Mike did.' He jolted at that and stopped smiling. 'We'll find him.' He told himself.

Suddenly, he felt a tremor in the pipe that had nothing to do with the water rushing through it. He opened his eyes, looked up, and his jaw dropped.

"April... what are you doing here?"

She stood on the pipe, about 10 feet from him; Then walked towards him as if she did it every day. "I saw you leave. I just thought you might need someone to talk to." She sat next to him. "This place is incredible. No wonder you like to come here."

"How did you know where I was going?" He replied. "And how did you know that I like to come here when I'm... stressed?"

"I could say I followed you, but that's not true. I've been here before." She sighed. "Mikey brought me here a couple of times when he wanted to talk. He figured no-one could eves-drop if we talked in here." She waved her hand around. "Too much background noise."

"Oh. So you and Mikey... talked a lot?" Donnie asked carefully.

April nodded. "He always askes so many questions, and I try to answer them... but some how we always end up talking about me." She smiled, and shook her head. "He always can tell when _I'm_ upset, then he askes me science questions until I want to talk about what's bothering me."

Donnie just sat there mutely, even though his mind was going a mile-a-minute. 'MIKEY' had noticed when April had been upset?' he wondered. He never had... 'And maybe that was why it had never worked between us?' He sighed.

"I'm just... worried. And I'm not like Raph or Leo. I usually take out my stress on inventing or computers, but I've done nothing but work on computers for almost two weeks. I _can't_ relax that way right now." He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. "I just can't do anything else, and I HATE not being able to find the solution to a problem."

April slipped her arm around him under his, and put her head on his shoulder.

"You're not alone, y'know." She spoke softly. "There's no shame in admitting that you're afraid." She hugged him. "And there's no shame in asking for help."

Donnie closed his eyes, and hugged her back, burying his face in the sweet-smelling wealth of her hair. 'She smells like sunlight.' he thought, even though his rational mind commented that sunlight HAD no smell. "When did you get so wise?" He whispered, letting out a long breath.

"I didn't." She looked up at Donnies' face. "Mikey said that to me one time, when we were looking for my father. He told me 'The last thing we expect to miss, is the first thing we take for granted.' " April let out a little sigh. "He was right." She sat up and smiled. "I'm going to head back now." She stood. "You coming?"

Donnie shook his head. "I think I'll stay here for a bit. I'll be back to the lair in a little while."

"Ok, I'll see you then." April leaned over, kissed Donatello's forehead, and leapt back to the access tunnel they'd come in from.

Don didn't move for a full 30 seconds; he didn't even blink. 'She... she _kissed_ me?' he thought in shock. 'I mean, I know it was just a friendly kiss, but she still kissed me!' He felt his heart pounding. It sounded even louder than the rushing water. 'NO, I shouldn't make a big deal out of this. She sees me as a friend, and I still have no idea how to make her think of me as more than that.' He shook his head and closed his eyes, searching for the peace he found here.

"So, what did you think?" Phoenix asked as she cleared the table, and put the dished in the dishwasher.

"That was really good... but I think pizza will always be my favorite food." Mike admitted. "But it was TONS better that tofu... or algae & worms." He grinned.

"Algae & WORMS?" She made a face. "I'm not even going to ask." She turned and looked out the window. "It's getting late. Mediation and then sleep, ok?"

"Already?" Mike made a pouty face that was ruined by a yawn. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan." He shrugged, "Who knew mental stuff could be so exhausting?"

"The brain is like any muscle." She replied. "When you start exercising it, it gets tired."

"I'm not tired... My eyelids just keep slamming shut!" He joked. Mike stood, and looked at the kitchen. "Do you need some help, y'know?"

She shook here head. "I don't mind cleaning... it's not painting, but it is therapeutic." She smiled. "Go meditate, and I'll see you in the morning." Phoenix looked at him, "And Mike... just a question, but your ninja weapon of choice is nun-chucks, right?"

"Yeah... why?" He replied.

"Just curious." She shrugged. "Goodnight."

"Night." Mikey walked to his room, and dropped into a meditation pose on the floor. 'Breath...and relax.' He thought, 'The guys may not get it yet, but they will.' He closed his eyes, and smiled. 'They will...'

Phoenix wiped down the counters and set the dishwasher to run. After checking the security system and setting the alarm, she slipped outside onto the roof. The sky was clear, and the stars seemed that much brighter tonight.

'That's what a little perspective dose for you,' She smiled, 'Who knew?' She took off running, but only a couple rooftops away, to a condemned building, awaiting renovation. She sat, and instead of meditating she slowly loosened the grip on her control. Power flooded her body, and she carefully summoned it. In her mind, she saw the flame, and called it to her. She opened her eyes, and looked down at her hands.

With a deep breath, Phoenix let it loose. A tower of silver-white fire erupted in her palms, in a column ten feet high. For a moment, she stared in almost-horrified fascination. Then, as if remembering herself, cut it off.

"Too much..." She whispered to herself, "Too fast. Smaller... I have to make it smaller." She loosened her control, but this time called only a single thread of flame.

Again, fire came to her hands... but only a candles' worth in each one. "There you are." Phoenix put them out, and smiled to herself.

"Again."

****

A special thank you shout-out to everyone who's reviewed!

**I'm awesome and y'all know it!**

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**Many many thanks! I WILL post another chapter tomorrow as well! (I have a lot already written, so... [;])*)**


	12. Chapter 12

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"Uptown Manhattan." Leo shook his head. "How could a former foot member afford to live around here?"

"Uh, duh!" Raph rolled his eyes. "Obliviously by stealing! You don't think she actually works for a living, do you?"

"Raph has a point..." Don added, "The foot have a rather defined skill set, and there aren't many jobs that call for them." At his brothers' blank expressions, he shook his head. "Extending into independent theft seems the most logical explanation."

"Man I wish you came with subtitles." Raph mumbled. "It doesn't matter HOW she's paying for her place. She'd better hope the place is insured," He cracked his knuckles, "Cause it'll be needing it by the time I'm done!"

"Less talk, more searching. It's hard enough to find Mike in the city, but we can't exactly search every building without attracting attention. Don, any ideas?" Leo asked as they headed for th first block on the search grid.

"If I can break into each building's security monitors, we could use them to do the searching for us..." Don paused, "but we have no idea what 'Fushicho' looks like."

The thought for a moment longer. "But if we could get the _names_ of the people in each building, I could track their bank account history. Any female tenet with large deposits would be a likely suspect."

"What do you need?" Leo questioned as they reached the roof of the first building.

"I need you and Raph to plant these in the building managers' offices, out of sight." He handed him a set of boxes, about 3 inches by 5 inches. "It's a remote access box. It'll let me hack their computers from the lair." Donatello pulled more gadgets from his carry bag. "Let's get going. We've got 14 more buildings on this block alone." He looked to the east. "If we work fast, we should be able to cover this block before dawn. Once you get the first one set, head on to the next building. I have to set up a central router for this block, and then we should be able to do this from the lair."

"You got it, Donnie." Leo nodded, and handed Raph half the access boxes to Raph. "Let's do this thing." He leapt from the roof.

"More sneaking around." Raph complained as they took off. "Is it so much to want to break somethin'?"

Sunrise seemed to come faster, as they worked. The sky was streaked with pink and orange before they managed to disappear into the sewers.

"One block down, five to go." Whispered Donnie, as he activated the access boxes from the lair computers. 'OK...' he smiled to himself. 'Tell me all about these people...'

Phoenix faced east as the sun came up. The beauty of it seemed even more intense this morning, the colors, the smell of the air... She sighed, and found herself smiling into the dawn. Another night, and she hadn't slept, but somehow the exhaustion from the last weeks was gone; Replaced by a renewed sense of...she couldn't describe it.

'I still can't believe it;' She thought, 'I've never put much stock in destiny or fate or... what ever you call it. But what else could this be?' She paced along the rooftop, 'Out of all of the people in this city, in this_ world_, I find the one person who I can help, who can help me. Strange how a chance meeting can change your path." Phoenix gave a soft laugh, startling herself. 'Because of him...It's like for the first time in 19 years... I'm **ALIVE**.'

Michelangelo awoke with the sun pouring in the windows. He got out of bed, and looked outside. A movement caught his eye, and he turned. Across one of the rooftops was Phoenix, standing on the edge of the building; And he watched her watch the sunrise.

'She's changed since the first time we met each other,' he thought, 'but in a good way, I think.' The idea, that knowing him had changed her for the better was _crazy_... wasn't it? 'I'm not sure anymore,' Mikey closed his eyes, and shook his head, 'A couple of weeks ago I would've said 'Yeah, right! Don't be a dummy, dummy!' but now? Maybe knowing me uhas/u helped her accept herself, the way she's helped me.'

He smiled.

Suddenly, she turned, and looked strait at him. The sun seemed to wrap around her like a cloak, and a early-morning breeze tried to pull her hair from it's constricting bun. Their eyes met, and instead of waving to her, Mikey felt a rush of embarrassment. He spun away from the window.

"Spying on a girl! NOT cool." He spoke out loud. "Nice one!" He face-palmed, and walked to the bathroom.

'What was that about?' Phoenix said to herself. That wasn't like Mikey... "Huh." She gave a little shrug, and headed back. 'Time for breakfast anyways..' She thought.

Tendrils of darkness wrapped around him as he moved. Something was chasing him, but what? "WHAT?!" He felt his heart pounding, and the burn in his legs as he ran. He couldn't stop, not for one minute. His family was counting on him, he had to save them! He stumbled, fell. "NO!" He gasped for breath, and turned to face his pursuer. "Fine! Come and get me!"

The shadows and darkness swirled, and a figure walked towards him. A cold, heartless being that he knew far too well. He stood, and brought his weapons up to bear, as a hand wearing a bladed gauntlet lashed out at him. Sparks flew as steel met steel. His attacker came at him again, and he was fighting for his life... no, not just for his, but for his brothers, for his father as well.

"You think you can defeat me?" A mocking voice whispered. "You are weak. You are a FOOL!" The figure circled him, lashing out with speed and agility. There was something wrong about the way his opponent fought, but he didn't know what. It was like a half-forgotten memory.

"I WILL defeat you!" He yelled out. "I am strong! I am ninja! Tonight, I will end YOU!" With a running leap, his swords sliced through the apparition, and a silver helmet clattered to the ground. He flipped the figure over, and stared in horror.

It had Mikeys' face.

"NNNOOOO!" The sound of his own scream woke him. Leonardo sat strait up in bed, chest heaving.

Michelangelo stretched and arched through the next set of Tai-chi moves. Breakfast had been awkward... for him at least. Phoenix seemed ignorant of his discomfort, and had acted as though nothing was amiss. 'What's the matter with me?' he wondered. 'Yesterday we were laughing over tofu, and today I can't even look her in the eye!' He glanced over.

She moved fluidly, with a grace and poise any ballet dancer would envy. His suppressed a sigh, and followed. She made him feel clumsy; She didn't ever try to, but that was how it was. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to him.

"Ok Mike. What's wrong?" She looked at him intently.

"Who... who said anything was wrong?" He didn't look at her.

"I can tell." Phoenix put her hand under his chin, and made him meet her gaze. "Something happened between last night and today. What is it?"

"I... All right, but this is embarrassing." Mikey cleared his throat. "I was kinda... spying on you this morning. You where out on the roof, a couple buildings over, and..." He blushed bright red, "And you looked really peaceful, and I thought that maybe I.. It was because of me, that I'd helped you deal with.. your thing." She didn't speak, and he shut his eyes. "I know it's crazy, but for a minute... I thought that I'd helped you learn something." He finished in humiliation "Told you... embarrassing."

Phoenix touched his shoulders. "You have." His head snapped up, a look of astonishment on his face. "You've helped me realize things about myself that I never would have considered. Don't ever doubt that." She smiled. "And it's no reason to be embarrassed. You need to feel like you can tell me anything; training related or not. OK?"

"Well... ok. Then I have a question." Mike squared his shoulders, and looked her in the eye. "The night we met, the first time we fought together? It was..." He searched for the word, "I can't describe it, but for me, it was like I'd fought along side you a thousand times before." He explained. "I've never been _connected_ with someone like that during a fight. I was wondering if it was just me."

"Mike..." Phoenix closed her eyes and felt something warm wrap around her. "Yes. I felt like I didn't even have to see what you where doing; I already knew what move you'd use, and somehow I felt like you knew what I'd do as well." She opened her eyes, and something almost giddy was rising inside her. "I've always been able to feel other peoples emotions, and I thought that was what had happened on a deeper level. But if YOU felt that too...Then I have NO idea what that means." She paused, "But I like it."

"Yeah." Mike smiled, "Yeah, me too." He went back into the Tai-chi pose they'd broken to talk.

"Oh! One more thing..."Phoenix walked over to the cabinet that housed her weapons. "Here." She handed him his Nun-chucks, with new chains. "They where damaged, so I fixed them."

Nothing could have prepared her what happened next.


	13. Chapter 13

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Without a word, Michelangelo wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her tight. For a moment, she froze in shock; then brought her arms up and returned his embrace. Emotions rioted within her, and she shut her eyes. 'Incredible...' her mind whispered, 'so this is what a hug from someone you care for feels like.' Phoenix smiled, and sighed as Mikey pulled back. 

He was red again. "Uh... thanks." He saw the stunned look on her face, and silently insulted himself. "I should'nt've done that, um, I won't do it again." He turned away, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Mike, do you know what just happened?" Phoenix pulled him back around to face her. "The truth is... that's the first time anyone has ever shown me any kind of affection. I've never been hugged before. I wasn't sure how to react." At the look in his eyes, she explained. "Any show of emotion is considered weakness in the foot. And you... you told me I matter to you without words. That was the best gift I've ever received. Thank you."

Mikey covered her hands with his own. "It's not hard to give. Especially not to you." He smiled, "If you ever need a hug, just let me know."

"I'll remember that." She smiled in return, and moved back into their Tai-chi lesson. "Where were we?"

'Just a dream... just a dream.' Leo told himself. His hands shook as he wiped the cold sweat from his face. He reached over and grabbed the glass of water from the crate he kept next to his bed. He gulped it down, trying to purge the images from his mind.

'Get a grip Leo!' he thought to himself. 'It was a DREAM. Nothing else. We're going to find Mikey.'

"LEO!" Raph burst into his room. "What happened?!" He had his Sai's out, ready for a fight.

"Nothing. It was just a dream." Leo said shortly, and got out of his bed. "I'm fine."

Raphael sheathed is weapons. "Sounded more like a nightmare to me." He commented. "And a pretty bad one."

"I SAID I'm fine. It takes more than a bad dream to bother me." Leonardo evaded Raph's unasked questions. "I just want us to find Mikey and bring him home."

"That makes two of us, Leo." Raph looked at his older brother. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah." Leo strapped on his katanas, and walked out to the practice room. He looked at Splinters' door. "He still hasn't come out?" A feeling of unease coiled in his gut.

Raph shook his head. "It's been almost two days. Shouldn't we check on him or s'mthin?"

"You first. I'm not." Donnie called out from his block of computers. "We need to plant the next block tonight. There's nothing on this first one that looks even remotely like a former foot member. The only girls on this block are either under in high school, or over or too old. We have to keep looking." He pushed back from the desk and stood. "We go tonight."

Phoenix looked up from the canvas at Michelangelo, and laughed. "Wait... wait. So this fat old guy was going to try and make you guys into a New York 'Loch Ness Monster', and he got turned into giant spider?" She shook her head. "And people say there's no justice in the world. Your brother Raph sounds like he's one tough boy. But he's got a temper problem, huh?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. But he's got a soft spot for his pet tortious named Spike." Mike watched her brush fly with fascination. "He always thinks he has to protect other people, even if they don't need protecting."

"Like you?" She asked, and raised an eyebrow. "Don't look so surprised. It sounds like he's a _little_ overprotective of you." Phoenix laughed. "But I'll bet you can drive him up the wall in record time, right?"

"Why do you say that? Am I THAT annoying?" Mikey asked in a teasing tone. "Because I was going for annoying."

"No. Try harder!" She joked. "What I meant was we have less of a need to behave around our best friend." He gave her a startled look. "What? He's your best friend, isn't he? Of he lets his guard down around you." She watched the emotions run across his face, and sighed. "So what did you call the giant-spider-mutant?" She changed the subject.

"I called him 'Spider-Bytes'!" Mike replied. "I have a talent for naming things."

"I noticed." Phoenix stood and stretched. "I could paint all day with you telling me these stories." She showed him the one she'd been working on. "It's never been this... not_ easy_, but this...clear. When you talk to me, a picture forms in my mind from what you say and feel. I know what the painting is going to look like before it's done. I can see it in my head." She stopped and looked at him. "Mike, do you paint?"

"What? Me? No!" He protested. "I mean, um, I painted my skateboards, and a surfboard, but that's not ART." He walked around and looked at the painting. "Raphele." He shook his head, "I don't know how you do it, but..." Mike looked up, "it's like you've know them."

"Well, I like to think I do, through you." She explained. "Now, as much as I'd love to keep going on Raph's portrait, WE have weapons practice."

"ARMED sparring!?" Mikey grinned, "Awesome!" He took off for the dojo before she even finished drying her hands.

Phoenix smiled to herself. With each story, she understood a little more of what had created the self-doubt, the lack of confidence that Michelangelo suffered from.

'After I finish the paintings of his brothers, I'm painting him.' She decided. 'And maybe he'll tell me what it is that he meant that his 'sensei was going to send him away anyways', and maybe I can finally reach him.' Phoenix let out a breath, and shook her head. Whatever it was, it had hit him harder and more deeply than any physical wound ever had. But it couldn't be hurried. Healing took time, and when there where emotions involved, it was anyone's' guess as to how long it could take. She looked at the finished portrait of Leonardo, and the half-done one of Raphael; And wondered what they'd think if they knew how Michelangelo saw them.

Splinter finally emerged from his meditation room. He didn't speak; He only looked at his sons, and silently made tea.

April watched his movements, and felt something strange. Normally, Sensei was the one with all the answers, but now... it was like he wanted to ask them something, but even he didn't know the question. She waited in the shadows, and then slipped into his meditation room. She walked with cat-like stealth, and glanced around the room. Then, she saw it.

'Michelangelo's' journal.' She thought in disbelief. 'SENSEI read it?!' Sudden fury filled her, and she almost screamed out-loud. 'He's suppose to be above this kind of thing!' Her mind cried out. 'I almost expected that of the guys... but SPLINTER?' Suddenly, she heard the returning footfalls of their teacher. She disappeared into a side grating that lead back to the practice room, still dazed.

"April! What's going on?" Donnie asked at her expression. "Are you all right?"

"I need to go." She replied softly. Without another word, she picked up her bag and walked out. 'It hurts,' she realized; 'When you've spent so much time looking up to someone, just to find out they're as flawed as anyone else.' April slipped out of a manhole near her aunt's apartment. It had never occurred to her that Splinter would violate his sons' privacy that way, or that... that what? She didn't know, but one thing was cirtin: disillusionment SUCKED.

'Should I tell them?' She wondered, and immediately dismissed the idea. They needed to respect their Father, and it wasn't her place to destroy the trust they had in one another. "Even if Splinter has taken the first step in doing it," She whispered to herself, "I'm not making it worse."

For a moment, and not for the first time in the past two weeks, she wished she could talk to Mikey. He'd always see the simplest solution to any problem. Not the _smartest_ solution, but always an honest one. April opened the door to the apartment, and went into her room. She sat in the window, and looked out at the sunset. They'd be leaving soon, she knew. They'd go out and search. And within her, something began to wonder if Mike had'nt had the right idea.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello Everyone! **

**I apologize for not updating this morning, BUT...**

**As I mentioned in my comment, my poor computer had a virus!**

**I had to scrub it to the factory settings... Thank God I had my text files backed up!**

**Thank you for your patience!**

**.**

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The night was colder than any other she'd been out in thus far. Phoenix stood on the roof, feeling goosebumps rising on her skin. She smiled as the stars began to come out, blazing brilliantly. She let out a long breath, and watched as the clouds from her lips evaporated.

'It really is amazing,' She thought, 'The things you began to notice when you stop obsessing about one thing, and opened yourself to_ life_.' She smiled, and went back inside.

"Phoenix!" Mike called out. "Someone's buzzing your door!" He looked at the intercom system that connected with the door downstairs.

It squaked again with a tinny-sounding voice. " -Nashi! It's Charles, I need to talk to you about the gallery show next week. Buzz me in!"

"Oh HELL, I compleately forgot." She shook her head. "Mike, stay out of sight. I'll get rid of him as fast as I can." She hit the release for the downstairs security door, "C'mon up!"

She looked at Mikey. "I have a art show next week." She explained. "I have to sign the paperwork, and read the contract. Don't let him see you." Phoenix frowned. "Charles is an amazing agent, but I don't really trust him."

"Will do." He nodded, and went into his room. He shut the door; Then pressed a upturned water glass against it. He put his ear-hole againt the bottom and listened.

" -Nashi!" A male voice spoke, "I brought over the contracts for you to look over and sign. The 'cities' collection is already being talked about, and that's with just the 'Venice' one on display. I can't wait to see the critic's reactions to the rest of the line."

"I'll read those contracts." She took them to the table. 'Dose'nt he _ever_ shut up?' she thought. "Everything seems to be in order." She nodded, and signed the papers.

"So what are you working on now?" He asked eagerly. "If this show is as big a sucsess as we think it'll be, we have to be ready with the next show in an couple of months."

"I'm working on a personal project." Phoenix replied. "None of them are going up for sale, no matter the offer."

"REALLY?" Charles asked with delight. "Nothing makes the collectors more eager to own something you paint than to say that some are priceless, not for sale." He rubbed his hands togeather. "May I see what you're working on?"

"No." She shook her head. "Not before I have permission from the person sitting for them."

"Wait...wait one second!" He exclaimed, "You're doing PORTRAITS? Since when?!" He looked at her in confusion. "You hate doing portraits!"

"Correction:" Phoenix held up a index finger, "I hate doing _some_ portraits. It depends on whom I'm painting."

"So... your first portrait series..." Charles mumbled thoughtfully, "It could work, even if none of the paintings are for sale. The public loves what they can't have!" He smiled. "You'll be at the show next week, of course?"

"Yes... I'll be there. I'm not promising to stay for the whole thing, but I'll be there." She sighed. "I hate these formal things."

"I know, I know." He collected the contracts, and put them in his briefcase. "But they're nessicary if you want to sell any of your work to the right people." He stood, and walked to the door.

"Meaning, of course, the people with money." She commented cynicley.

"Naturally!" He smiled again, and left.

Phoenix looked at the clock. "Hmph. 15 miniutes. That's a new record." She looked down the hall. "Mike! All clear!"

Mikey stuck his head out of his room. "He's finally gone?"

"Yeah." She shook her head. "If he was'nt so good at what he dose, I would've fired him ages ago, just because he won't..."

"Shut his mouth." Mike finished. "He dose LOVE to talk, don't he?"

"You where _listening_?!" Phoenix put her hands on her hips and glared at him; Then surprised him by bursting into laughter. "It was a joke," She smiled, "Sorry, I'm not very good at them yet."

Mike smiled back. "Just keep practicing," he repiled, "You'll get the hang of it!"

"So how would you feel about having the paintings I'm doing of you and your brothers being part of one of my art shows?" She held up her hands. "If you're not comfortable with it, then I'll can the idea next time I talk to Charles."

"Why are you asking me?" Mike replied in confustion. "They're YOUR paintings."

"But they're of YOUR family." She explained. "I realize they don't look the way you-all look, but they ARE from your stories. I'm not about to let the public see them with out your say-so."

'She means it.' Michelangelo realized. 'She's not going to make the choice for me, she's not going to behave like I _can't_ make the choice for myself.' He smiled.

"Put them in your show." He nodded. "You're right, no-one will know that the people aren't human. And you don't want to sell them?"

"Never." She smiled, and squeezed his sholder. "Those paintings are part of a story I'll never tell anyone... A part I don't think anyone will appriciate unless they already _know_ the story." She looked out at the night, and then back at him.

"I think a run might be a good idea. You up to it?"

"Don! The last box is set up." Leonardo spoke into his T-phone, "We've got time, we should set up the next block."

"I've got enough for one more set." Donnie replied, "I'll meet you on the Bineman building in a miniute. I've got to finish up here."

"Got it." Leo took off towards the next block set.

'Almost done,' Donatello thought, 'and then we start over again.' He sighed. April had taken off that afternoon, and was'nt answering her phone. 'Something's wrong.' He thought, 'And she's not about to talk to me about it.' A clanking sound pulled him out of his mental feild-trip. He looked across the roof-tops, and saw... "Krang." he pulled out his bow-staff, and dialed Raph and Leo.

"We've got Krang-bots a 1/4 mile from me. Get back here!" Don spoke softly into the phone.

"We don't have time to deal with the Krang!" Leo replied sharply.

"Are you kidding?!" Raph intruppted. "I've been wanting to break somthing all week! I'll be right there Donnie!"

Donatello crept towards the Krang. There where a dozen of them, one carring a briefcase.

"Krang will release the mutagen into the water suppy for the human populated living quarters where we are, as ordered by Krang." One spoke in their robotic monotone voice, and opened the briefcase to reveale a canaster of ooze.

Unlike the other containers Don had seen before, the ooze was a _bright_ green, without the dark mottled sploches of black and blue. The Krang that had spoke picked up the canaster, and walked towards the water-tower that fed into the apartment building.

"Booyakasha! Man this feels GOOD!" Mike exclaimed as he raced across the roof and lept to the next building. He looked over, and saw Phoenix smile. She'd forgone the mask tonight, and had opted to just pull her hair into a tight bun. "It's a little cold," he continued, "but I guess summer can't last forever." He did a hand-spring onto the fire escape of a nearby apartment building, and contuined to go up.

"Well, life would be boring if the weather was the same all the time." She followed, and slammed into his shell. "Ow!" She saw his face and lowered her voice. "What is it?"

"Krangg bots." He peeked up onto the roof. "The alien brains in robot bodies I told you about?" She nodded. "There are some up there." He wispered.

"Let me see." She wispered back. Mikey slid out of the way, and she looked across the roof, and saw... "Hmm. Everyone's out tonight."

"What'a you mean?" Mike asked.

"I think we almost walked in on your brothers." She moved over so that Mike could see too.

Donnie sprang from the shadows, twiriling his bow-staff. As he did, Raphele appered from nowhere, and slashed the droids. Leo was the last to join the fight, but oh... he was good. Phoenix watched as Michelangelos' brothers showed their skill. She glanced at his face, and part of her understood in a flash. There was a almost worshipful expression on his face, touched with jelousy and... defeat?

"I think they have this under control. We should go." She spoke softly. "Unless you want to... to go home." She managed to get the words out.

The phrase seemed to snap him out of it. "No...why? Do, um, you_ want_ me to?" He asked in return. She shook her head silently. "Then let's go."

"Split up, I'll meet you there." She replied, "You head out first, I'll follow in 60 seconds."

"Roger wilco!" He turned to go, "See you back... home." He smiled to himself, and jumped to the next roof.

Phoenix started a count in her head, and continued to watch the fight. Yes, Mikes' brothers where very talented, but not as perfect as he seemed to believe. They all had weaknesses that could be used against them if thier opponent took the time to notice...

She moved to leave, when a Krangg landed a hard punch to Donnies face. He spun backwards, and tripped on the edge of the roof. Arms flailing, he fell towards the concreate of the sidewalk. His mind flashed through his life in less than a second, and he closed his eyes, and thought of only one thing.

"April." He spoke as he felt himself reaching terminal velocity.


	15. Chapter 15

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The sound of metal scraping into brick reached him as a hand caught his wrist. The sudden stop had his shoulder protesting in pain and his eyes blinked open. Insted of one of his brothers, as he'd expected, he found himself staring into the face of a girl. She was upside-down, hanging from a tanto knife that had been imbedded into the side of the building. In one swift motion, she swung them both onto the fire escape of the next building. She met his gaze as he tried to catch his breath, an odd look in her violet eyes. She shook her head, and gave a soft sigh.

"You should be more careful." Her voice was quite, but it carried. "Your brother may not always be there to catch you. After all," She smiled sadly, "isn't that what he normally does?" She turned to go. "Stay safe..._Donatello_."

His head snapped up at the mention of his own name, but she was gone.

Phoenix ran. "Stupid..." She muttered to herself. "God that was stupid! Keep your mouth shut!" Her feet pounded the pavement as she headed home. 'Why can't I just NOT say anything and disappear?' She wondered to herself. 'But NO! You had to go and say his NAME! Schmuck!' She pushed herself harder, and increased in speed.

"DON! DON! Where are you?" Leo shouted in confusion when the last Krang-bot had been dealt with.

"Right here!" Donnie climbed onto the roof, rubbing his shoulder.

"What happened?!" Raph demanded. "You disappeared!"

"I didn't disappear! I got knocked off the roof!" Donatello snapped back. "And I'm fine, thanks for asking." he continued sarcastically. "And the only reason I'm not pavement-paste is because of..."

He stopped short, a look of disbelief crossing his face. "Guys, I think I just met Fushicho."

Phoenix keyed into her apartment through the entrance on the roof, and found Mikey waiting for her.

"You ok?" He asked. "I thought you'd beat me back!"

"I... I was delayed. One of your brothers got knocked off the roof by one of those Alien bots, and um..." She shrugged, "I caught him." She saw Mike's face and continued, "I wasn't going to let him go 'Splat'!" She grimaced, "At 15 stories up, that's what would've happened."

"Normally I'd swing out on my Kuni and grab them if that happened." Mike mumbled. "Huh, I guess they forgot about that."

"That's what I said." Phoenix looked at him. "Maybe I should've kept my mouth shut, but I told him he should be more careful, because the brother that always catches him might not always be around to do just that."

"Wait, don't tell me," Mike held up one hand, "It was Donnie, wasn't it?" Guilt swamped him, and it showed on his face.

She nodded, and reached out to touch his arm. "He's fine, maybe a strained muscle."

"Maybe it should surprise me, but he's always all '_Blah, blah, look at me, and my big brain!_' But he always forgets about his feet!" Mike made talking motions with his hands. "I've lost track of how many times that's happened!"

"Well," She shrugged, "Nobody's perfect." She watched his face as he glanced towards the window. "Tough to think of him that way, isn't it?"

"Who, Donnie?" Mike started to shake his head, but then stopped and nodded. "I guess I always figured he made up for it with his brain." He paused, and looked at her. "What's your point?"

"The point, Mike, is that we all have our strengths and our weaknesses." Phoenix walked with him into the dojo, "And no matter what anyone says, we all have at least two. A physical one, and an emotional one. Donatello has footwork problems, and anyone can tell his 'Achilles heel' is your friend, April." She peeled off her running over-suit, and hung it in a side cabinet.

"Whoa. You figured that out that fast." Mikey stated, wide-eyed. "I mean you're really... just, y'know, WOW!"

"Don't make a saint out of a sinner." She shook her head. "I have weaknesses too. I have one spot that can knock me down in three seconds flat, and, well..." She looked away, "I have a major emotional one as well."

"But you're not going to tell me?" Mike asked in curiosity.

"What, and have you whip my tush the next time we spar?" She smiled. "No way! Ok," Phoenix stretched, "Meditation and then sleep, capise?"

Mikey nodded, "Yeah...and it sounds funny, but it's nice to know that maby...maby they do need me." he smiled and walked towards his room. "Good Night!"

"'Night Mike." She turned, set the alarms and went to her room. She brushed out her long, black hair, and changed into her sleep-wear. A strange kind of peace settled over her, and (for the first time in several days), she crawled into her bed.

'Even if I told him what they are, he'd never believe me.' She thought as she closed her eyes. 'I barely believe them myself...' on that, she dozed off.

"What do you mean, you _THINK_ you just met Fushocho!?" Raph snarled. "What happened?!"

"I got knocked off the roof," Don explained, "And I was about to turn into a grease-spot. Someone caught me." His hand went to his shoulder. "A girl... well, a young woman, dressed in black, with some kind of armband in white and silver."

"Did she say who she was?" Leonardo asked, and started pacing on the roof.

"No." Donnie shook his head.

"Then how do you know it was _her_?" Raph asked snidely.

"Guys." Don stopped the questions with a look. "She's asian, skilled in the martial arts, and incredibly beautiful. And..." He paused, "She knew my name."

"SHELL." Leo shook his head and went silent. "That means she was HERE. The one person who knows where Mikey is was here, and we just didn't notice!" Leo lashed out, and brought his katanas down on one of the fallen Krangg-bots.

"There is one up side to this." Donnie said simply, "Now at least I know who we're looking for." He walked across the roof, and picked up the container of mutagen. "We should get back to the lair. I can check the residence logs of the apartments, and analyze this ooze." He looked at it carefully. "There's something different about this one, but I won't know what untill I run some tests." He looked at his brothers.

"I wonder though... if she's as bad as Dog-Pound claimed, why did she save me?"

Phoenix stretched out as the sun broke the horizon. She didn't move from her bed, or do anything other than watch the day begin. She had forgotten how wonderful it was to actually _sleep_. The sound of glass breaking had her on her feet in an instant, tanto knives in hand. She rushed out, and found Mikey cleaning up a broken mug. Glass and coffee was mixed on the floor as he mopped up the mess.

"Mike! What happened?" She looked around the kitchen, and then back to him. "Where you... cooking?" She asked in surprise.

Mikey blushed and nodded. "I was going to make a couple of my world-famous 'Pizza omelets'." He threw the paper towels in the trash. "I didn't mean to, y'know, startle you." He looked at the knives she was holding.

"Well, if the most I have to worry about is the life-span of my glassware, I think a shower is safe enough." She joked. "Be back in 15!"

Mikey smiled, and pulled out a carton of eggs from the fridge. "Don't have to worry about the smoke-bomb kind in here!" he spoke to himself,"Guess she finally got some sleep... she's usually outside this time of the day."

He thought about the way her hair had stuck out at all angles, and he laughed to himself. 'She's cute when she's not all cleaned up and perfect.' The idea stopped him. She had always looked beautiful, almost _too_ beautiful, but mussed and sleepy... she was breathtaking.

Donatello hadn't slept. Oh, he'd _tried_, but there where too many questions that needed to be answered. What was different about this batch of mutagen? Why did the Krangg choose that building? And most importantly: _WHY_ would someone that supposedly had no regard for life, risk their own to save his?

He hunched over his high-resolution microscope, and studied a sample of the ooze they'd taken from the Krang. It surprised him how much he was getting done.

'Of corse you're getting more done. Mikey's not here to break anything!' He thought, and then mentally slapped himself. 'Focus Donnie!' He told himself. There WAS something different about this sample. It was... Donnie pulled back, and rubbed his eyes. It was _PURE_?

"No impurities..." he spoke to himself, "And no traces of excess DNA." He frowned, and stared at the container. "Is this what they've been trying for, all these years?"

"First sign you're losing it, talking to yourself." A voice interrupted his thoughts. Leo walked up behind him. "couldn't sleep?" He noted the circles under Donnies eyes.

"No..." Don shook his head, "Too much to think about." He looked at Leo. "You?"

"I haven't really _slept_ since this whole thing started." Leonardo replied. He looked around at what Donatello was working on. "shouldn't you be looking at your computer, hacking files? The ooze can wait."

Don started to snap at him, then stopped himself. "You're probably right. I just needed to get my mind off of this whole thing with Mikey for a couple hours." He stood, and stretched. "I should get back to it."

"Where's April? I haven't seen her since yesterday; Usually she's in the middle of what ever your working on." Leo asked.

"I think she had to do some stuff for school," Don made up in response, "She's been here every day for the past couple of weeks."

"Oh. Do you need any help?" Leo offered. "I don't know much about this kind of thing, but maby I could do something?"

"No, not right now." Donnie smiled. "Besides... it's early yet, Raph's still asleep, and 'Space Heros' is on in 10."

"I hav'nt watched that in a year." Leonardo protested. "It's kind of a kids show."

"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. Go watch Captain Ryan save the galaxy. You'll feel better." Donatello patted his shoulder, and went back to his computers. "Allrighty then... next building."

**.**

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**A Million and one thanks to my Dad for helping me save my computer! [:])**

**And my thanks to everyone for their reviews! (Good or bad, they're helping me become a better writer! That's important to me! )**


	16. Chapter 16

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Phoenix put on her usual day outfit, toweled off her hair, and pulled it back into a pony-tail. She glanced in the mirror, and stopped. She was smiling, for no reason. Just because the day was new, and... "And there's someone that cares about me out in my kitchen cooking breakfast!" She laughed out loud, and shook her head. 'A year, no, a month ago, I would've said this entire situation was impossible.' She thought, reaching for the hairdryer. She stopped, and shrugged. 'No, why waste the time? Wet hair never hurt anyone.'

Phoenix walked down the hall to the kitchen, and paused. She heard... _singing_? She crept to the doorway, and listened. Mike was singing along with the radio alright; A little off-key, but still.

"_You've got a piece of me, and, honestly, my life, (my life), would suck, (would suck) without you!... I know that I've got issues, but you're pretty messed up too, Either way I've found I'm nothing without you! 'Cause we belong..._" He turned, and saw her in the doorway, and went dead quiet, as the radio kept going. He turned BRIGHT red, and looked away. "How long where you standing there?"

"Long enough to learn something new about you." She replied with a smile. "Do you do that at home too?"

"Not really... after having Raph tell me 'Hey! Stop strangling that cat!' Or Donnie says 'I'm working on a delicate experiment, and I need you to STOP the racket!' So, no." Mikey shrugged, and glanced at her. She was still smiling.

"So you're not Pavarotti. So what?" Phoenix replied, and poured a cup of coffee. "I thought you sounded pretty good, but then, I can't sing to save my life." Mike gave her a look, and she explained. "I CAN'T sing. I'm completely hopeless when it comes to music." She blushed a little, and looked away; acting busy with the creamer and sugar. "So sing if you feel like it. It won't bother me."

"Well... the song's over anyways, besides I can't sing if you're looking at me." He turned back to the stove. "So, are you ready to try my pizza omelet?"

"Have you ever come up with a pizza-flavored food that wasn't... y'know, FOOD?" She asked, and sat down at the table as Mikey proudly presented two golden omelets.

"Uh-huh." He nodded. "The 'pizza shake' was not one of my better creations." At her quizzical look, he continued, "A pizza mike shake."

"Ick." She made a face. "Yeah, I could see where maybe you'd run into a problem with that." Steam rose from the plates as he sat across from her, and she inhaled deeply. "This however, smells delicious!"

Mikey smiled. "I try." He picked up a fork, and dug in.

Phoenix lifted a fork-full to her lips, and ate. Flavors exploded in her mouth, and her eyes went wide. "Ok, this is seriously great." She scooped up more. "What did you put in this?!"

"The normal stuff: Tomato sauce, pepperoni, green peppers, olives, onions, mushrooms," He spoke with his mouthful. "Oh! And four kinds of cheese."

"Just promise me you'll never add anchovies!" She requested with a smile.

"Oh, no way! I hate those smelly little fish!" Mike stuck out his tongue. "I mean, if I call and order a pizza, I tell them strait out, _'You put anchovies on this and you're in big trouble, Ok_?' And so far, they never have."

Raph wasn't one to head topside during the day, but he just couldn't stay in the lair another minute. 'Besides,' he thought, 'There's plenty of shell to raise in the sewers!' He pulled out his T-phone, and diled up his favorite vigilante.

"Hey, Casey here! It's your dime! Talk to me!" A male voice answered.

"Dude, it's Raph. You feel like bust'n a few heads?" Raph asked with a knowing smirk. "I got wind of a purple dragon hangout in one of the old subway stations. Thought you might want to join the cleaning party!"

"Tell me where, and I'll be there with hockey sticks in hand!" Casey replied.

"The condemned station at Bleeker and 9th. Meet you there in an hour." Raphael hit end, and grabbed his Sais. He snuck out of the lair, and moved through the sewers. The dirty water ebbed around his ankles as he followed one of the access tubes. He'd never admit it, but... he was scared. Not of combat, or of putting himself in danger, but the idea... that maybe, just MAYBE Mikey had really wanted to go away. Had he helped chase him off?

'I'm always the hardest on him,' He thought, 'Did I push him out?' He remembered the fight they'd had a couple of weeks before Mike'd disappeared.

It had been late, and Mikey'd been goofing off again. He and Raph had been the only one awake. Mikey'd tried another skateboarding trick, and had broken Spikes' little habitat house, Raph recalled, and... he closed his eyes with a harsh breath; And he'd lost it.

"_Why do you always have to be such and idiot_?!" He had yelled, "_You're not a ninja! You're a clown with weapons! Why don't you do ALL of us a favor, and get lost for a while_!"

Mikey hadn't replied like he normally did: he just stood there, and looked at the floor. And when he'd finally looked at him Raph had been surprised with what he'd seen. Insults, or even tears he could've dealt with, but the dry-eyed, wounded look Michelangelo had given him had been a hundred time worse. Then, just to add insult to injury, he had nodded and simply said "_Maybe you're right_." And had walked away.

Raphael lost his focus, and slipped shell first into the sluge at the bottom of the tube.

"Aw, SHELL!" He exclaimed, and pushed himself to his feet. The brown-green scum dripped onto his legs and a foul scent found his nose. "Oh GOD, that is RANK..." he muttered to himself, and took the next branch tunnel.

A water-main that fed a corporate office building was on route to his destination. Raph paused, and popped the valve open. Cold, clean, water slushed over him, rinsing the gunk from his body. With one swift motion, he snapped the water off again. 'If only it was that easy,' he thought, 'to wash away the past.' He shook his head, and kept walking. Casey, and a beat-down where waiting.

Michelangelo stretched and arched through the next set of Tai-chi moves. The current of the pool pulled as his legs, threatening his balance.

"Steady, Mike." Phoenix took the next pose with him. "Just relax, find your center, and you'll be fine." She had changed into a simple one-piece bathing suit in black for their water exercises.

"You keep saying that, and I still end up underwater." He responded, but smiled inwardly. 'I haven't been yelled at in...' he thought to himself, 'What, 13 days?'

"You don't complain about wiping out when you're learning to surf, do you?" She interrupted his thoughts. When he shook his head, she smiled. "Same idea."

"Not quite," Mike smiled back, "No adrenaline rush." His foot tried to slip, and he caught himself before he fell. 'And she's a lot easier on the eyes!'

"Mmmm..." Phoenix nodded, "but there's no large ugly animals trying to eat you in here!"

"Touché." They moved together into the next pose.

Donatello set his computers to run through the block's databases for all female tenants, and waited. After the first 10 minutes, he found his mind wandering back to the container of mutagen. After another 10, he set and alarm for when it was done, and pushed back from his computer. Don went to the ooze sample, and frowned.

'No, that's crazy.' He said to himself as an idea began to form, 'Or is it?'

He went into his desk and pulled out a lock-box. He opened his copy of 'Gray's Anatomy', and took the key out. Inside the box was a variety of items that he'd wanted to keep away from careless or hot-headed hands. Donnie pulled out a sealed needle-tipped syringe, opened it, and carefully pierced his arm with it. He pulled a blood sample from his left arm, bandaged the pierce spot, and placed the blood into a flask. Don wrapped the syringe in a special bag, and put it in a container for waste-drop off at the clinic.

"Here go's nothing." He whispered, and added one drop of mutagen.

It sunk through the other liquid, and hit bottom. At first, the glowing liquid sat on the bottom of the flask, then it started to get brighter. Suddenly, the entire container began to bubble, slowly at first, but then more and more rapidly, until it was nearly steaming.

Don took a sample out of the flask, put it on a slide under his microscope, and looked through it. He stopped, pulled back, rubbed his eyes, and looked through it again.

"Impossibul..." He wispered. "This is... this is... Wow."

Raphael snuck through the shadows case by a naked light bulb hung at the entrance of the decrepit subway station. Casey was late. Raph shook his head. Some things never changed. Two purple dragon newbies stood watch half heartedly. As he drew closer, snatches of their conversation became audible.

"C'mon man! The Met's ain't had a good season in years! You know why the Yankees always win?" One asked the other as he lit a cigarette.

"Um, 'cause the Yankees have A-Rod?" The second asked, rolling his eyes.

"Naw, it's cause no one can take their eyes off the pinstripes, dude! It's all about what people SEE! It's like us, right?" He continued, not noticing the figure drawing ever closer. "People see us, all they see the tattoo! All they can think is we're in the most dangerous gang in New York!"

The other guy nodded with a grin. "Purple Dragons all the way baby!" He fist bumped the other guard. "I tell ya, people do treat me with a little more respect since I got that first bit of purple!" He tapped the dragon on his shoulder with pride.

"Like purple, huh?" A voice came from the darkness beyond the circle of light. "How do you feel about black and blue?"

"Who's there!?" The two purple dragons grabbed for their weapons, but it was too late.

A sai flew through the air, shattering the bulb. Darkness swallowed the two, leaving them no defense against the attack that seemed to come from all directions. In seconds, both of them where unconscious in a corner. Footfalls from behind had Raph spinning around, weapons at the ready.

The newcomer swung at him with a baseball bat, missing him by inches. On the next swing, Raph made a grab, and pulled the bat from it's owners hands.

" A ...con sequo bat? Tell me you didn't pay money for this!" He smiled in the darkness.

"Raph?" Casey Jones, the hockey-mask wearing vigilante asked. "What can I say, two-for-one sale!" He pulled out a flashlight, and saw the purple dragons Raph had already dealt with. "Dude, you started without me?"

"You're late!" Raph shrugged. " S'ides, I'm betting there's more where they came from." He gestured towards the doors. "Let's see if anyone's home!"

**A VERY special shout out to my girl TheDarkestTimeline! Without her feed-back, this fic would never had made it past it's infancy, let alone become a story over 250 pages! **

**Thank you Dip! You're the best!**


	17. Chapter 17

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"**What do you mean, you sold the ****_ENTIRE_**** collection**?!" Phoenix demanded into her cell-phone. "The show is next week! And now you're telling me that everything we where going to display is GONE?"

"I thought you'd be pleased!" Charles protested at the other end of the line. "The collection fetched a half-a-million dollars! Even after my 10%, you clear enough to keep yourself in New York for another couple of years! What's the problem?"

"The _problem_," She paced in the dojo, "Is that I have a show in less than three days at one of the best galleries in this city, and NOTHING to display! The invites are out, and what is it going to say when people arrive and there's no ART at an ART SHOW?!" Phoenix rubbed a hand across her face, and took a deep breath. "I suppose we could display some of my old stuff..." Her face lit up, "Or...or we can display the series I'm working on now."

"The portraits?" Charles asked excitedly, "Your client agreed to let them be part of your show?"

"I expected it to be in a couple of months, but yes. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do, and very little time to do it." She hung up and blew out a stressed breath.

"Whoa, that was like 'female vengeance phone-call!' On steroids!" Mike commented with wide eyes. "What did the used car salesmen do now?"

"Used car? Oh!" She turned to Mikey, "He SOLD all of the paintings that where suppose to be for the show next week. Which means I have to come up with something PRONTO, or I won't have anyone come to the next one."

"What are you going to do?" He asked, but gave her a knowing look. "Paint some souls?"

"You read my mind." She smiled. "Let's get to work."

April entered the lair quietly, glancing about. She ireally/i didn't want to run into Splinter yet. To her surprise, it was oddly silent. 'It's quiet...' she thought, 'too quiet.' She walked into the main room, and found something she hadn't seen in a year.

Leonardo was perched in front of the TV, as Captain Ryan saved another planet from destruction. His eyes where wide as his hero executed the tricky 'corbimite-maneuver', and fooled the enemy into retreating. He was so engrossed, that when April tapped his shoulder, he nearly jumped out of his skin

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"Sheesh! Why did you do that?" Leo demanded harshly; his expression changed when he saw it was April. "Sorry, I thought you where Raph."

"I'd think the lack of a shell and non-green skin would be a clue that I'm not him." She smiled, and shook her head. "I was wondering if there's been any development with the Mikey situation?" She asked.

Leo frowned, and shook his head. "We're still searching, but it's taking so long." he rubbed his forehead. "April... I'm trying to be strong, and be the leader, but...but what if we can't find him?" His voice broke on the last word.

"Don't even THINK that! Leo," she put her hand on his arm, "You're going to find him, and...and maby everyone here will..." She stopped.

"Will what?" Leo prompted.

"Will stop treating him like a little kid. Leonardo, he's as old as you, as all of you, but you keep behaving like he's 10."

"None of US are missing!" Leo retorted. "None of US are with a foot warrior!"

"Former foot." She corrected. "And every time you've talked to him, he says that this is what he wants." April stood, and walked towards Don's lab, but paused. "Did you ever think that maybe what's happening is a _good_ thing?"

Leo didn't reply. That one question rendered him speechless. 'A _GOOD_ thing?!' his mind couldn't comprehend the idea. His baby brother missing was not and could not be a good thing!

Donatello was leaned over his microscope, typing notes with one hand, and adjusting the focus with the other. "Impossible..." He whispered. "This is... this is... Wow."

"What's wow?" April asked, and almost laughed at the way he jumped. "Sorry," she smiled behind her hand, "I've been doing that a lot today!"

"Oh! April! Um, just this ooze we took from the Krangg last night." He explained, "This mutagen is amazing. It's makeup is almost the same as the ooze that mutated us!" Don slid over, and let April look through the microscope.

She adjusted the scope, and nodded. "That's really weird..." She commented, "This mutagen looks OLD."

"What do you mean old?" Donnie questioned, "The Krangg where getting ready to use it last night."

"No, I mean the isotope break-down is accelerated. This could be from the same batch as the ooze

that mutated you guys!" April countered, "It's at _least_ 18 years old, maybe even older."

"If the mutagen we encountered was this pure, it would explain why we became more human than animal... as opposed to say, Spider-Bytes." Don nodded, "The type that got on him was almost toxic, it was so contaminated."

"So WHY are the Krangg pulling ancient Mutagen out of storage now?" She looked at it again. "Do you think they finally realized that this," she pointed to the slide, "is what they need, not the stuff they've been trying to make for the last three years?"

Raph kicked in the door to the new purple-dragon hangout. He looked at the faces on the gang memebers lounging around, and grinned at Casey.

"Looks like a bad surprise party!" Raphael commented.

"Lame party though!" Casey responded, "No band!" He pulled out his hockey sticks, and smiled beneath his mask. "But I brought drum sticks!" He looked at the purple dragons that had jumped to their feet, "Who wants to be the drum?" He and Raph stood back to back as the gang surrounded them. "What'd'a ya think of the odds?

"I dunno," Raphael spun his sais. "20 to 2? They should go get 10 more of their little friends. Then, this'd be a fair fight!" He leapt out and threw a split-kick as Casey went for a simpler tactic: Hit with large stick untill they stay down.

Raph dumped all of his pent-up rage out as the purple dragons fell.

"...And then Raph said '_ARGH! That really ticks me off_!', and I said 'Raph_, EVERYTHING ticks you off_!', and he said _'Not everything!...Ok, everything_.'" Mikey smiled. "But that's why he's him."

Phoenix put down her brush, and wiped off her hands. "I think I get it. Most ninja have a calm center. Raphael seems to have an ANGARY one." She shrugged. "To each his own." She gestured to the portrait. "What do you think?"

Mike looked at the still-wet painting, and the other two that where done. "It's like you've know us forever."

"Sometimes... it feels like I have." She turned to him, "Someday I hope I can really meet them. It'll be dark soon, and I need a break. You want to go for a run?" She smiled, "There's a place I want to show you."

Leonardo paced the main room. His heart and mind warred over Aprils' comment, and peace seemed unlikely. 'Mikey wouldn't just take off...' Leo thought, 'It's not like him to decide to find a new teacher. He's terrified of change.' He frowned, 'Sensei was thinking about sending him to train with someone else anyways, but..."

His eyes flew wide, and his breath caught in his chest. What was it that Mikey had said the last time they had talked? _'Tell Sensei... tell Sensei, he was right; Training with someone else was EXACTLY what I needed_...' Leo found himself holding his knees, breathing hard, as if he'd just finished a sparring bout with Raph. Could it be that Milkey had _known_ what Splinter had been planning? Leo closed his eyes, 'He knew,' a little voice whispered, 'And decided to make that choice for himself.' He shook his head in disbelief. "NO."

With a growl, he pushed himself upright, and headed for the surface. As a rule, he didn't go out solo, but... but he needed to breath, and to think.


	18. Chapter 18

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The moon had moved across the sky, gently draping the city in a cooling glow. The weather had changed considerably in the last few weeks. Mikey smiled as he ran across the rooftops, his breath creating little white clouds.

"I know this part of town." He commented, "We met, what, three blocks from here?"

"Uh-huh!" Phoenix vaulted over and ally-way, "I had been out here for a couple hours before we... bumped into each other." She had pulled on one of her half-masks this evening. 'There are people around here that stay up kind of late,' She had explained, 'And I don't need someone recognizing me.'

They scaled a old sky-scraper, until they reached a line of stone gargoyles. Mike looked out over the city, and felt an amazing calm settle over him. "I can see why you like this place." A neon sign flashed the date and time across the darkness. "Is that date right?" He asked suddenly.

"Yes... why?" She replied. "What's wrong?" His face suddenly looked very concerned.

"Zuli and Sid will be home in a couple of days. What'll they think when I'm not there?" He ran a hand over his smooth head. "I mean... their just kids! I don't want them to be scared." He referred to the two mutants that he and his brothers had 'adopted' two years ago.

"Children are alot smarter than most people think. They notice things that adults miss." Phoenix tilted her head and looked at him. "Maybe we should go see your friend April... She could take a message to them."

"WE?" Mikey spun around, and looked at her. "You would let her meet you?"

"Mike." She shot him a look, "If you trust her, than I will too... although I'm inclined to keep a mask on," She paused, "At least for the first time we meet." Phoenix shut her eyes, and turned away. "Or... or you could go home." She turned back to him as he opened his mouth. "And no, I don't want you to."

"I didn't ask." Mike responded in surprise. "I was going to."

"I could have sworn you did... huh." She shrugged. "So... do you want to go see April?"

"We could go tomorrow night?" He asked, "I want to write them a letter. It's better to get down what I want to say." Mikey blushed, "I'm not very good with spelling, though."

"Who is?" Phoenix smiled. "Tomorrow night then. For now, why don't we meditate?" She walked out onto 'her' gargoyle.

"Up here?" He walked onto the one next to hers, and looked down. "Woah. That's a drop. You normally do this?"

"It let's me clear my head. This building is empty at night, and there's no-one to get emotional waves from." Phoenix flipped herself upside-down, and balanced on one hand. "This is kinda my thing."

Mike sat and took a deep breath. "I think I get it." He smiled to himself, and closed his eyes. 'I think they'll understand, even if Leo and Raph and Donnie don't.'

Leonardo stood alone on the roof of a tall building, staring out at the stars.

'Where are you?' He thought, 'Mikey... Please be out there, please come home.' He felt an almost helpless desperation, followed by a constant flow of anger. Tears of frustration gathered in his eyes. He couldn't go back home tonight without finding anything AGAIN. It was two weeks to the night Michelangelo had taken off alone.

Leo sat, and tried, yet again to find something they'd missed. _Anything_, any clue. Mikey's diary had been both a hindrance and a help; Crowding his mind with more questions than ever, but at the same time, Leonardo felt as if he was finally beginning to understand his baby brother.

Raph knocked down one last Purple dragon, and looked around at their handy work. Twenty tattooed thugs where on the floor, tables, and random furniture, all uncurious.

"No bad for an eve'nin's work. "He commented. "I almost wish there where a few more!"

"Know what you mean!" Casey replied, "I was just gettin' warmed up!" He glanced at his wrist, and paused. "But it's getting late, and I've got work to get to."

"It's that late already?" Raph asked, and rolled his eyes, "I'd better be getting back too. Leo gets cranky if you do thing without his highnesses permission."

"I'll catch you later man." Casey waved, and took off towards the surface.

Raphael started home, being careful of his steps this time.

"It's been a couple hours up here, we should be heading back." Phoenix turned herself right-side up.

"Already?" Mike stood, stretched, and looked at the neon sign. "Whoa. Time flies." He grinned. "Race ya!"

"You're on!" She laughed out loud. With a wink, she took off in one direction while he took the other.

'That's her!' Leo's mind shouted as he saw the figure sprinting over the nearby rooftops. 'Dressed in black, armband, I've found her!' Leonardo sneered silently. This, he would do alone.

As he moved to intercept her, and restraining hand was put on his shoulder. He whirled around, and found himself looking into the sharp brown eyes of Kari.

"Don't, Leo." She shook her head, "You can't take her... if Master Shredder couldn't,_ YOU_ can't."

He turned back to the skyline, and saw his quarry getting farther and farther away. "I don't have time for games tonight. I have business with your friend."

Kari gave a disgusted laugh. "Don't call that... that monster, that piece of filth, my FRIEND!" She lowered her eyebrows and her eyes went cold. "There's no stopping her. She'll take the word if she wants to."

"There's got to be a way to take her down." Leo argued, a scent of flowers distracting him for a moment, but then snapped back. She was almost out of sight.

"There is a way, but you're not the type to do it. The only way to stop her..." She paused meaningfully, "Is to END her." She looked at him intently. "You understand me?"

He slowly nodded, and chased after the 'monster'.

Kari stood, and smirked beneath her mask. It was a evil trick to pull, but the last thing she needed was _her_ coming back, just as her father was preparing to instate a new head of the clan in New York! Fushicho was powerful enough to rip the city right out of Karis' fingers, if she where to agree to re-join. Besides, her father had always favored the annoying girl... and she wasn't even his daughter!

"Thanks for doing my dirty work, Leonardo..." She whispered on the wind.


	19. Chapter 19

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Someone was watching her, she could feel it. It was as if someone had painted a pair of crosshairs between her shoulder-blades.

'The foot don't ever learn.' She smiled to herself, leaping and landing lightly on the next building over. 'The only way they can fight me is to catch me!'

Leo followed from a distance, keeping to the shadows. 'I'll follow her right back home, and take care of this.'

Suddenly, she began to run in earnest. The chase took them over alleys and up fire escapes, across busy streets and led to the heart of downtown. They reached one last rooftop, and she stopped, turned, and faced her pursuer.

'Ha! Nowhere to run now!' he thought, drawing his katanas.

She didn't pull any weapons. Phoenix tilted her head to one side, and regarded him with surprise. She had expected the Foot, not one of Mike's brothers; So she had led him on a wild-goose chase into the very heart of the city. The lights of Broadway blazed behind her, and illuminated the roof.

"I thought I'd get to meet you someday." Her voice surprised him, cool and steady, with no evidence of the chase they had both just endured. "But I didn't think it would be today... Leonardo."

His name on her lips hit him like a blow to the head. For a moment, all he could do was stare, Kari's words echoing in his head. Then, a tsunami of fury seemed to engulf him. Unlike the other times he had felt this, he did not fight it.

Without speaking, he attacked.

Leonardo seemed to come at her in slow motion, giving her time to roll out of the way. She drew her Ton-to knives as she came to her feet, and steel met steel. Leo's katanas came down in an arch, to be caught on her knives. Phoenix stared at him over her mask, trying to understand the look of intense pain in his eyes. They broke apart, and circled each other, looking for an opening.

With the the fear of the last two weeks as his focus, Leo made the first move; And the real fight began. Kicks, punches, body blows; Every piece of ninjitsu knowledge they possessed was pushed beyond mere theory.

Their weapons clashed together over and over again, until sparks flew from the blades. Ninjitsu wasn't enough, he realized, and slid into kung-fu mixed with ketokami. To his astonishment, she countered with Krave-mega` instead of matching him.

'What ninja in their right minds takes the time to learn Israeli street fighting?!' He ducked a punch and brought one out his blades down in a glancing blow against the back of her left hand, slicing through both cloth and flesh.

Pain raced up her arm, and still she held back. 'No, not Mike's brother! We will NOT hurt him!' she commanded herself, and gave ground. Phoenix focused on evading Leo's swift strikes, and waited for an opening. As he brought his katanas up to strike, she saw it. She flipped into a hand-spring, and lashed out with a mid-air kick. She felt her heels connect with his wrists, and heard the clatter of dropped weapons.

Leo fell backwards, the hard cement of the roof meeting his shell as he landed. He looked up, saw her standing over him, and waited for her to finish him. Instead, her knives disappeared, and she simply looked at him.

"Is this how you usually say _'Hello'_?" She asked, as he pushed himself to his feet, "Because it seems the 'attack first ask questions later' is more Raphael's style... at least that's what I've been told." Phoenix kept herself between him and his weapons. "What have I done to warrant it from you?"

"You took my brother!" He shouted, shocking himself with the hatred he heard in his own voice.

"I _TOOK_ nothing." She replied calmly. "Michelangelo is my friend. Why do you make it sound as if I would harm him?"

"Friend?! We haven't seen him in weeks!" Leo shouted, "You expect me to believe he wanted to stay away by choice?!" His eyes narrowed.

"I don't expect **ANYTHING** from you." The coldness in her voice stopped him. She shook her head, and gave a scoffing laugh. "Mike's right. You don't believe him, and you have a VERY poor opinion of his abilities." Phoenix looked away and sighed. "He'll come home when he believes' he's ready. I will not push him either way."

"I don't believe you." Leo growled out as Aprils words came back to haunt him.

"You don't have to." She shrugged. "In the end, you will see." Phoenix me his eyes with her own, and held them. For a moment, the both stared, then she shook her head. "Nothing... that's interesting."

"What?" Leo asked in confusion.

"I'm just surprised at how little spiritual energy you have." Honesty prevailed, even though it sounded odd. "Mike _Flows_ with it. You barely have a trickle!"

"Spiritual energy?" He replied in disbelief. "You are insane!"

"Maybe. Until we meet again." With that, Phoenix leapt off the roof _towards_ the lights of Broadway.

He looked at the distance and let out a laugh, cut short when the arch of her jump heightened, as if the wind itself aided her. Her feet touched the roof on the far side of the thoroughfare, and again, she took off running.

Leonardo looked out at the distance she'd crossed, and knew he wouldn't reach the other side soon enough to catch her again. He picked up his katanas, and sheathed them. His mind whirled with un-asked questions, as she vanished into the shadows of the city.

'What just happened?' He thought, 'How did I lose? I should have been strong enough to take her!' The words she'd spoken danced through his mind...

_'Michelangelo is my friend... You don't believe him, and you have a VERY poor opinion of his abilities... He'll come home when he believe's he's ready..._'

The worst of it was he WANTED to believe her, and find out everything she'd said was true... but how could he trust her?

'On the other hand, how can I trust Kari?' The rage had all but disappeared, leaving him feeling drained and... ashamed. 'Why did I do that?' he suddenly wondered. She hadn't attacked first, he had. 'She's right, I went all Raph, shell, I was ready to...' The thought of what he'd been prepared to do, because of what KARI had said, stopped him in his tracks, and forced him to admit something.

"What am I doing?!" he spoke out loud. "How... WHY?..."

Phoenix pressed her bleeding hand under her arm as she ran. Keeping pressure constant while moving was tricky, but she wasn't about to leave a blood-trail for someone to follow. The pain seemed to pulse through her, as she contemplated what had just happened. Mike's brother had been full of hate, almost rage crazed... and not at all like the firm, clear-headed leader that had been described to her. Finally, she was home. She palmed the door lock on the roof, and went in.

"Where have you been?!" Mike rushed to her. "I can't believe you got lost or..." His voice trailed off when he saw her hand. "What happened?" He made her sit down, and removed her mask.

"I ran into a friend of yours," She peeled off the damaged glove, and looked at the cut, "He was worried about you... and more than a little angry."

"One of my brothers." It was'nt a question. "Wait, this was made by a sharp blade... LEO attacked you?"

"I believe he's been talking to Kari." Phoenix stood, and rinsed her injured hand in the sink.

"What makes you think that?" Mike asked, "Last time he said he'd been talking to Dog-Pound."

"When we where fighting, I caught a wiff of... of flowers. Specifically, Night-blooming jasmine orchids." She explained. "They can be distilled into a spray that makes you aggressive, clouds the mind, brings out base emotions. Fear, anger, hate; They all come rushing to the surface." She wrapped the cut in a bandage. "I would bet anything that she talked to Leo, and dosed him without him realizing it." Phoenix looked at the time. "Thankfully, it burns out quickly. Maximum time length is about 30 minutes, and there aren't any lasting effects."

"Wow. How do you know so much about it?" he followed her to the do-jo.

"Standard equipment for a Kunochi in the foot. It only affects males," She stepped behind the rice-paper screen and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, "So any female in the foot is required to learn how to use it, how to make it, and the opportune time to use it." She walked around the screen. "I've seen it before, the rage, the single-minded hate. Leo was full of it. I could feel it. It was dropping off sharply when I took my keave."

"So... Leo's ok?" He asked, and instantly felt a surge of guilt for doubting her.

"I think I may have dented his confidence, but other than that, and a couple of bruises, he's fine." She smiled, and put her hand on his shoulder. "I wouldn't hurt your brother. Because if I did, it would hurt you, and that would hurt me."

"Phoenix... I was really worried about you... and I know how good Leo is. He's got more moves than a furniture delivery company." Mike blushed, "I... I love Leo. He's my brother; I love my family." He explained. _'But I care about you more than any other girl I've ever known._' he wanted to say, wanted to tell her. But didn't. "I didn't want you to get hurt either. You matter to me, Y'know?"

She turned, and surprised him with a swift hug. "I know. And you should know that the feeling is very mutual." She pulled back, and let out a quiet sigh. "I think maybe we both could use some down time, huh? I need to do some work, and you have a letter to write."

"I guess... um, will you read it when I'm done?" He seemed a little embarrassed to ask.

"Of corse I will." Phoenix flushed a little. "But I can't promise to correct any spelling mistakes. My spoken English is much better than my writing."

Mikey smiled, and turned towards his room. "OK! I'll bring to you when I'm done."

She went into her studio, and pulled out the half-finished portrait of Oroku Saki. What Kari has done to Leo made her furious. Mike had told her that Leonardo had been smitten with Kari the first time they'd met, something he'd never shaken off, and something Kari had taken advantage of. She scowled, and yanked open another tube of paint. Red oil paint splattered in a stream across the wall next to her; She picked up a rag, but stopped and shook her head.

'No time for that right now.' Phoenix turned to the canvas, and picked up her paints.

Leo crept into the lair, hoping that no one had noticed he'd been gone. His foot-falls sounded like thunder to him in the silent room. At the same time, Raph slipped in through the other entrance, trying to stay in the shadows. They looked across the main room, and their eyes met.

"Where have _you_ been?" Leo demanded, pretending that nothing was wrong.

"I could ask YOU the same thing." Raphael arched his brow, "Our golden-boy, sneaking out?" He smirked, "Tsk, tsk!" He waved a finger.

"I needed some air." Leo responded defensively. "Besides, what business is it of yours?!"

"It may not be his business, but it is certainly MINE." Another voice interjected. Master Splinter stepped into the main room and glared at his two eldest sons. "Now is not the time to be disappearing!" He thundered, and turned to Leonardo. "You especially! I would think..." His voice stopped as suddenly as it began. He saw his son's face, and knew. "What happened tonight, Leonardo?"

"Sensei, I... She... I'm not sure where to begin." Leo didn't meet his teacher's gaze.

"I would suggest..." Splinter put his hand on Leo's shoulder, and guided him into the dojo, "starting at the beginning."

Leo blew out a harsh breath, and nodded; His voice caught as he tried to explain.

"I was topside, thinking about Mikey, and how long it'd been... that's when I saw her..."

**Sorry about updating at this time of night! How often life intrudes when all I want to do is write!**

**-Sigh- I realize there is some dislike of adding any more OC's, but this was written in conjunction with my friend TC1's Fic, 'Safe No More'. Lazuli and Obsidian are her creations, and are used with permission. Their parts in this story are small, but important just the same. **

**I hope you all will come to love them as much as I do!**


	20. Chapter 20

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Michelangelo sat at the old desk in his room. A blank sheet of paper lay before him; A half-dozen failed attempts where crumpled, and scattered across the room. He frowned, and picked up his pen again. He sighed, and began to write.

_Hey there, Obsidian and Lazuli! I_

_t's Mikey._

_I know you're probably wondering why I wasn't home after your trip with Moonblaze. It's a long story. I met someone, someone who's helping me learn. She's a really cool girl, named Phoenix. She's my friend and a teacher. She's really great. I know it sounds weird, but I've never felt so ready for new things, or actully wanted to train like this. _

_I'll tell you the whole story when I get home; In fact, I'll have a whole bunch of new stories! Untill then, don't worry. And PLEASE don't touch Don's things. I know the glowing stuff is cool, but don't push any buttons, OK?_

_Love Ya, and See Ya!_

_Mikey _

"... And then I came back here." Leo finished, "I don't know what happened... I suddenly wanted to hurt her; No I wanted to _KILL_ her." He closed is eyes in shame. "If I can't trust myself, than how can I expect anyone else to?"

Splinter took a handkerchief and handed it to Leo. "You have something on your face. Have Donatello examine it; I believe it may hold the answer to the questions you've asked." He nodded, and walked over to a table. He opened a drawer, and removed...

"Mikey's diary?" Leonardo whispered. "Sensei, why do you have it?"

"For the same reason you and your brothers had it." He touched the cover gently. "To read it." Leo's eyes widened, and he looked away. "Yes, I knew that curiosity would bring you to look in it. I have read your brother's words, and I believe he may have made this choice for himself."

"Sensei... are you sure?" he asked in quiet disbelief.

"No." Splinter shook his head. "I cannot be careless enough to assume I am always correct. Continue searching;" Leo got up to leave, "And Leonardo?" He turned and looked at his father, "Kari...I have a feeling she is using you for her own ends."

"Hai, Sensei." Leo replied softly, and walked out. 'What Splinter doesn't realize,' he thought, 'Is I still hoped Kari...' He frowned, and wiped his face with the cloth. "Sensei's wrong." He muttered out loud. "Kari had nothing to do with me being weak."

He shook his head, and walked toward Donnie's lab.

Phoenix scrubbed her hands, and watched the colors swirl down the drain. The collection didn't feel done. She turned, and looked at the series of portraits.

'Almost done,' she thought, but not quite...' and shook her head, 'It's like something's missing...' She looked through the canvases. "Leo, Raph, Don, Oroku Saki, Kari, Splinter." She spoke out loud. "What's missing?"

"Did you lose something?" Mikey asked from the door.

"No, not that kind of missing. It's like there should be another painting... or something." Suddenly she smacked herself in the head. "I feel stupid." She smiled at him, and went to a covered painting on the drying rack in the back of the room. Phoenix carefully opened it and showed him. "None of this would have happened if I hadn't met... you."

It was him; or rather what she saw in him. The colors where enough to make you dizzy if you stared at it for too long, a reckless merging of bright and dark. At the same time, there was a feeling of confidence and steadfastness.

"What do you think?" She asked, not sure of his expression.

"This is how you see me?" He asked quietly. "This is what you think my soul looks like?" Mikey turned, and hugged her hard, feeling his eyes fill. "It's amazing. It's like you put your believing in me there for anyone to see, and you don't care who sees it." He pulled back and grinned. "Wow."

Until that moment, she hadn't realized how important his approval was to her. Before she could speak, her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, sighed, and answered.

"Yes Charles?" She rolled her eyes. "No, you cannot stop by, I'm still working!... Because I said so, and because if you want this done, you'll leave me alone! Yeah... I'll see you tomorrow." She hung up. "Sorry." Phoenix rolled her eyes, "I don't know _Why_ Charles keeps trying to stop by. It's really starting to bug me."

Mikey felt a flash of an ugly emotion called jealousy, but kept his expression the same. "He likes you." He replied.

"Well, I'm one of his less Diva-like artists, so he likes me." She shrugged. "Nothing new."

"NO." He emphasized the next words. "He _likes_ you." at the blank look on her face, he continued, "Charles is half-way in Love with you. Maybe 3/4 of the way."

She surprised him with a laugh. "C'mon Mikey. That is CRAZY. In Love with ME?" She shook her head. "That's not possible."

"Well, I don't think he loves anyone as much as himself, but it is totally possible." He looked at her, and felt a flash of anger. "Why don't you think he could be?"

Phoenix turned, and looked at him with a disbelieving gleam in her eyes. "Do I have to spell it out?" She bit the words out. "He doesn't know ME, not really, and if he did, do you think there's any chance that he or anyone else, could love who I really am?" Her voice thickened as her eyes filled. "I learned a long time ago that LOVE is something I shouldn't waste my time looking for: It's not for me."

Michelangelo felt his muscles clench, and rage well up inside him, although he didn't know why; And realized, in all their time together, he'd never seen her cry.

"Are you INSANE?!" he burst out, flinging his hands up in the air. "You are the most amazing girl I've ever known! You're smart and beautiful and strong... and you have so much..." He searched for the word, "Compassion! And you think love's not for you?!" She sat down hard, staring. "I read once," he continued, "this book that said 'greater love has no man, than one who would give up their life for their friend', and you would do that, if you thought it would save someone in trouble!" Mike whirled around and put a fresh canvas on the easel. "so don't you sit their and say you don't _deserve_ to be loved!" He grabbed a clean brush, and roughly shoved it into her hand. "You can see into everyone else, but what about YOU?" He pointed to the canvas. "Paint yourself. You may be surprised at what comes out."

Mike walked out, and shut the door.

Phoenix sat stock-still in disbelief, gripping the brush in her hand. 'What just happened?' She wondered. She had felt his jealousy, and had been ...well... _amused_ that Mikey'd taken such a dislike to the time she spent with Charles. She had thought it was sweet, even. But she hadn't expected it to become such a force. What she'd felt in him had been more than liking, protectiveness, or even jealousy.

She shut her eyes, and bit her lower lip. She didn't like being confused, and the emotions Michelangelo had been rioting with where VERY confusing. One stronger than all the others... one she couldn't name. But then, She was hardly an expert on emotions, having not allowed herself to experience them for so long. Perhaps it was one she'd never find, she thought sadly.

Phoenix's eyes snapped open, and she un-capped her paints. With a quiet resolve, she stood, turned to the canvas, and began to paint.

Donatello waited as his computer processed the residue from Leonardo's face. April walked up behind him, and he automatically smiled.

"So what did Leo want analyzed?" April asked, and leaned over Donnie's shoulder to watch the computer run it's algorithms.

"No idea." He managed to reply, 'But as usual,' he thought, 'close proximity to you causes my brain to malfunction...'

"Hmm..." She studied the information coming up on the screen, "It looks like and organic compound. Interesting." She straitened, and turned to the other computers. "But I guess we'll have to wait a while to find out."

Leonardo pummeled his practice dummy with a level of anger he usually associated with Raphael. For the first time in weeks though, he wasn't picturing a faceless mystery. He punched and kicked, imagining himself.

'What the shell was I thinking?!' He couldn't shake what he had almost done, what he'd been ready to do. 'And how can I claim anyone else is a monster when I acted that way myself?'

"Hey Leo!" Raph stood in the practice room's doorway. "You ready for a live opponent, or do you want to beat up sawdust all day?"

"Not no Raph." Leonardo felt a cold sweat come out on his body. "I don't feel like sparring right now."

"Suit yourself." Raph shrugged, and walked away.

'I can't fight anyone... what if it happens again?' The idea of harming one of his family made his blood freeze. 'I can't fight...'


	21. Chapter 21

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Michelangelo went through his meditation and tai-chi alone, leaving Phoenix to work. He'd stolen in to check on her once. She was so absorbed in her painting that she hadn't noticed him in the doorway. She had been crying, he recalled, but it was like she didn't _know_ she was. The tears running down her face had splashed into the paint on the pallet, mixing in as she used it. She just kept going, like an engraver with a hammer and chisel, giving life to the inanimate. He'd burned to know what she was creating, yet understood that she needed to do this alone.

'Why did I do that?' He asked himself. 'I don't have the right to tell anyone anything, but...' the anger touched him again, 'How can't she see how amazing she is?' Mike went out to the lani, sat on a flat rock next to the pool, and remembered their first conversation. She had been as angry at him as he had just been at her. His mind raced at the idea, that _neither_ of them understood how special they where.

Mikey stood abruptly, and went into the dojo. He dropped his nun-chucks on the padded bench that sat on one wall, and faced the 100 lb body bag that hung in the corner. He looked at it, brought his fists up, and smiled. "Sorry dude, this is gonna hurt you a whole lot more than it'll hurt me!" Mike joked, and began pummeling the bag.

Phoenix looked at the finished painting, and shook her head. I looked nothing like what she'd expected, and parts of it even she didn't understand. The last few hours where a blur in her mind, not quite making sense. This had been the first time since Michelangelo had come into her life that she'd had to sever the connection she had to him. None of his thoughts, none of his feelings had been with her as she'd painted herself.

She'd missed it. Phoenix couldn't remember the last time she'd actually enjoyed company. For so long she'd focused on distancing herself from others, and now that she thought about it, it made her sick; How long had she spent being content to settle for existing rather than _living_? Her loneliness had been normal, something she'd been accustomed to, but Mike had reached inside her and changed that. It was starting to feel natural, smiling so much, and laughing, and... and just letting her heart accept that it could feel, whether it was joy or pain.

Maybe it was the emotions that had shown in the painting that she didn't understand, She considered, there where so many she hadn't ever felt. She opened herself up to Mikey, and his thoughts came through crystal clear.

Caring. Worry. Protectiveness... The last threw her. He thought she needed him to protect her? The sound of a bell dinging pulled her out of her revere. Giving the crazed mix of emotions bombarding her mind, it was a wonder that she heard her phone at all.

Leonardo focused on his training, waiting for Donnie to come back and tell him that there had been nothing on his face; That everything that had happened on that roof-top had been all him. It was possible Kari had something to do with what happened, but he wasn't buying it. Yes, she'd manipulated him in the past, used his attraction to her as a weapon in her arsenal.

'But,' he thought, 'even Kari can't manipulate someone if she isn't there!' He frowned and sat down to meditate. 'Sensei want's to be able to blame her for what I almost did, but I can't. A leader takes responsibility for his actions, and NEVER looks for excuses.' He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to find his focus. What could he do? It wasn't something that could be undone.

_"Sure..."_ His angry conscience snapped at him_, "It would be nice if you could just back off, and say, 'I'm sorry' but you won't..."_ It continued, _"God forbid the high-and-mighty Leonardo should admit he made a mistake!"_ He opened his eyes, and stood.

"That's the truth, isn't it?" He spoke out loud, and walked over to the tree in the dojo. He pressed his forehead against it, and inhaled deeply. "I screwed up. I made a bad call, and almost did something I would never be able to live with." He pushed back, and went towards the door. He never noticed the small figure behind the tree, watching him with a gaze and understanding far to old for her years.

The sound of Raph and Leo's argument reached the lab. April paused as she was about to put in the next line of code.

"Um... Shouldn't we see what all that's about?" She asked Donnie.

He shot her a disbelieving look, and shook his head. "Unless you want to play referee, I'd stay out of it. Besides," He added, "It's the same old story: Raph snuck out and busted some heads, most likely with his co-hort Jones, and Leo's acting like the scorned leader." Don looked at the monitor. "Same song, new verse."

"And Leo blames Raph, not Casey, every time right?" April gave him a knowing smile.

"Well, I suppose that Leo feels that Casey isn't to blame for Raph getting into trouble." He frowned, "Although Jones seems to find enough trouble on his own."

"Umm-Hmm." She agreed. "Casey's not a bad guy, just... a little obsessed with being the 'bad boy', y'know?" She rolled her eyes. "And it doesn't hurt his ego that most girls go for guys like that."

"Do you?" Donnie asked hesitantly.

"Do I what?" She was back at the computer, fingers flying across the keys.

"Go for guys like that?" He finished the thought, and waited nervously.

April shook her head, and Don smiled with relief. "Bad boys aren't my type." She didn't see his face, "I prefer the type..." Her statement broke off as a blur of green about 3 1/2 feet tall dashed into the lab, giggling hysterically.

"You said no water balloons until we got home!" He shouted with glee. "We're home!"

A cat-girl stood in the doorway, water dripping down her normally-silky fur. She looked at Donatello and April, and shot them a dark look.

"I'm going to go find a towel." She growled out. "And then I'm going to go home and sleep for a week." She turned to go, but stopped and shook her head. "Have fun. I loaded them up with sugar and caffeine on the way back. YOUR turn to watch two eight-year-old NINJAS." She stalked off towards the bathroom.

April looked at the still-giggling turtle, and put her hands on her hips. "Lapis Lazuli... You water-ballooned Moonblaze?" She held out her hand. "Give me the other ones."

His eyes went wide and he quickly backed up. "What other ones? I don't see any other ones!" At her look he had come to know so well, he reached into his shell and dropped three more water balloons into Aprils' out-stretched hands.

She turned away to put them in the sink, and the hairs on the back of her kneck tingled. She spun around, and kicked her foot out at the height of her head, shattering one more water balloon. "Where's your sister?" She asked.

"I dunno. In our room I think... or in the kitchen... or in the dojo... or..." He thought out loud.

"What you mean is she's in the lair somewhere, but you don't know where." April gave him a smile, and a gentle push out the lab door. "Let's get you some food that isn't all sugar, ok?" She turned to Donnie, but his back was to her, focusing on his computers.

'Someday he'll be sorry he missed this.' She thought, 'But then, being able to understand children is'nt easy for everyone.'

She wrapped a arm around Lazuil's shoulders, and lead him out into the lair.

Michelangelo stood in the shower, letting the hot water peel off the coat of sweat that had formed during his practice. She had come out of her studio while he'd been pummeling the body-bag in the dojo, and went strait to her bedroom. He hadn't gone in, hadn't looked at what she'd painted. He shut the water off, and grabbed a towel.

She'd been on the phone with Charles again. He frowned. 'I don't like the guy,' he thought, 'He's... shifty.' Mike shook his head, and put his mask back on. He wouldn't admit that it bothered him how much time she spent with that guy. 'Because I don't trust him...' he thought, 'No other reason!'

Phoenix hung up. It had never occurred to her that Charles had been hinting at wanting to be more than friends... although they weren't really even friends to begin with. She stood by the window and watched the sun start to sink in the west, bathing the city in a glow of liquid gold.

'It should be flattering, I suppose,' She mussed over the thought, 'but it's honestly... made him even more annoying than before! And I didn't think that was possible!' She heard footfalls in the hall, and smiled.

Mike'd been right. She'd never thought she was worth any real emotion, not until he had forced her to take a long, hard look into who she had _become_, not who that girl had been four years ago. 'Because I knew him, I've changed.' Phoenix felt an idea form, and stifled a laugh. 'And I know exactly how to say 'thank you!' But... we also have to drop off that letter to his friend.' She turned, and pulled out a ninja suit for the night ahead.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello everyone! I realize that adding OC's into a plot is frowned upon, so to avoid confusion, I will be adding a flash-back in chapter 23 to explain the existence of Obsidian and Lazuli!**

**(As long as my friend TC1 is ok with it!)**

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Obsidian tip-toed past Raph as he entered to dojo, and moved through the shadows of the lair, tailing Leonardo. 'What happened?' She wondered silently. Leo had always seemed to be the perfect ninja, without faults, without weakness, without... feelings. Now suddenly all of that was being challenged. Her mouth formed a thin line as the thoughts and questions wrapped around her like a cloak. She absent-mindedly twirled the tails on her white mask.

Believing in perfection, putting someone in that position was STUPID, she decided. It automatically doomed them to failure, to be a disappointment. Sid shook her head to clear the far-too-adult thoughts from her mind, and followed the sound of talking to the kitchen.

Lazuli sat at the table, chattering away about their trip's exploits to... April? "And then we almost ran into this bear! It musta been ten feet tall!"

"It was a black bear, Zu. Only about 5 feet on his back legs." Sid interrupted. "Don't exaggerate."

"Mikey always says that the best stories need some exaggeration!" He countered. "Where is he anyways? I want to tell him everything that happened on our trip!" He turned back to April. "Did you know the ceiling 'outside' is so high that you can't even see it?"

April laughed, but it didn't sound right. Obsidian studied her face, and felt something tighten in her stomach. "April..." She spoke softly, pulling her away from her brother, "Where's Mikey? He should've been the first person to come and see us. Has...has something happened?"

"Everything is FINE." April insisted, "He's just topside right now." She wet a dish-cloth and wiped off a smudge of chocolate from Lazuli's yellow mask.

"So we get to go up soon too, right?!" Zuli spoke with excitement.

"NO." April looked at the two of them. "Believe me, New York City is nothing like Casey's grandmothers' farm. There's too many people, and too much danger. The guys didn't even get to go up until they where 15." She held up a hand as he opened his mouth to argue. "Forget it. It'll be a few years before you two are ready for the city... or the city'll be ready for you." She muttered the last part under her breath.

Mike waited until he hear the water in her bathroom running, and then went into her studio. He walked around the easel, and looked at the painting.

It was... ugly, he thought in disappointment. The colors didn't blend, they seemed to fight each other. The images that came to mind where one's of confusion, not understanding. He frowned, and turned to walk away, but stopped, and went back to look at it again. There was something compelling about it, even if it seemed nothing like her. Longing, fear, joy... feelings seemed to spill off the canvas.

He suddenly smiled, and understood. There where layers to the colors, one laid over the other in endless patterns, so that at first glance all you would see was chaos. It would take a great deal of time to see what was really there...

'Just like the real thing,' he thought, 'And of course she's confused about herself... who isn't?' He rubbed his temples, and shook his head. "Too much heavy thinking... I need a comic book." Mikey went back to his room, and dug out a copy of 'The Justice Force' that he'd found slipped under his door the day before. He sat back, and lost himself in a world of super-heroes.

Donnie burst out of his lab, waving a print-out. "Leo!" He called out excitedly, and waved him over. "I figured out what was in that smudge! It was a bio-extract mixed with a high-octane acetate!"

"Hey, watch your language Don! There are kids present!" Raph rolled his eyes with a laugh, entering the room.

"Simply put, it was a spray. A distilled plant mixed with a perfume." Donatello explained.

"Wait, so I was perfumed?" Leo gave him a disbelieving glare. "Not much help, Donnie." He turned to walk away.

"But that's not even the most interesting part!" Don protested. "The plant extract was from a rare flower,

Noctem lacus bellatores flore comantem Jasmine Cymbidium, or a night-blooming jasmine orchid! It's also called the "War Flower"."

Master Splinter entered the room as Donnie was talking, his brown ears perking up at the words. "The War Flower, Donatello? Are you sure?" Don opened his mouth, but Splinter waved his hand, "No, of course you're sure. Hm. Well that explains your sudden shift in personalities, Leonardo."

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Leo looked at him in confusion.

"The 'War Flower' is grown specifically for it's unusual effects on a persons' temper. In a concentrated form, it can intise even the most calm and logical beings into fits of rage. It is a Kunochi weapon." He added meaningfully. "Kari was not just offering advice: She was using you."

Leonardo stared blindly at the wall. 'She was just toying with me... again.' He thought, 'And I _believed_ her!' A sense of betrayal caused a bitter taste in his mouth, but then a strange sense of liberation filled him. He smiled, and to everyone's surprise, let out a laugh.

"Hey Fearless... um... everything OK?" Raph asked at Leo's expression.

"Yeah... I just realized something." He turned to his brother. "I am miraculously DONE caring about Kari. This...this toxic, twisted... _THING_ between the two of us is finally finished!" Splinter nodded at the statement, and Leo released the guilt of what had almost happened. "What happened wasn't me, BUT... it was my fault" He closed his eyes, " I shouldn't have let Kari get that close to me." He opened them, his blue irises filled with a steely resolve. "Never again."

Phoenix lead Michelangelo across the roof-tops of a heavily populated part of the city.

"Aren't there a lot of people around here?" Mike asked. She nodded. "Then why are we here?"

"Because there's something I wanted to show you." She turned with a smile. "In here."

They had reached a large building on Broadway. Phoenix opened a skylight, and dropped down. Mike followed, and found himself in what looked like a storage room. Trunks overflowing with costumes and props crowded the floor. Old scenery leaned up against the walls, and cobwebs hung from the rafters.

"Where are we?" He asked in confusion.

"This is the attic of the Gershwin theater." Her eyes danced, as she walked between piles of stage items of years past. "Over here." She waved him towards her. She reached down and pulled a ceiling panel up and out of it's holding bracket. Down below was a audience taking their seats, waiting for the performance to start.

"Whoa... what are we doing?" Mikey watched as Phoenix sat on the floor next to the hole. He sat next to her, and saw they had a perfect view of the stage. "Wait, we're going to watch a play?"

"A musical." She turned to him, and squeezed his hand. "I wanted to thank you for what you did, what you said." She pulled off her mask with her free hand. "Nothing quite like having someone yell at you that you're worth more than you think to make a point!" She noticed that she still held his hand and abruptly let go. "This sort of explains how two people can bump into each other, and change destiny."

'Like us.' Mikey thought, nodded, and watched with wide eyes as the curtain went up, transporting the theater to the mystical land of OZ.

April emerged from the kitchen, yawning and stretching. "Well guys," She gave them a tired smile, "I'm headed home."

"You shouldn't be going out alone." Leo protested, "If Kari where to try something..."

"First off Leo, I'm a trained kunochi," She argued, "Second..."

"Second, I'm seeing her home." Donnie interjected smoothly. "So there's nothing to worry about."

Raph covered a snicker, and shot Donnie a knowing look.

"We need to set up the next block tonight Don." Leo reminded him. "It's not something we can do without you." He frowned at the idea of any delay.

"Just go up and start. I'll be there as soon as April's home, ok?" Donatello explained. "It should'nt be that long."

"I'm gettin' sick a this," Raphael complained, "It's all we _ever_ do anymore! Go up and down and up and down." He waved his arms around as he spoke.

"Well then, sound's like the perfect job for a yo-yo!" Donnie quipped snidely. Raph growled, and lunged at him. Don lept backward, and let him face plant into the sofa.

April laughed and shook her head. 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.' She thought.

"Really guys, I'll be fine on my own." She tried one more time, knowing she'd lost the argument. "Zu and Sid are asleep, and with Splinter here, there shouldn't be any problems. I can head out, and you guys can set up your next search. You don't have to worry about me."

"We are NOT taking that chance," Donatello slipped his bo-staff into his belt, "not with you!"

"You two get going." Leonardo said, "We'll meet you at the next block grid Don."


	23. Chapter 23

**Here is the next chapter! **

**I do not own the flash-back into 'Safe No More'- this belongs to TC1, **

**used with permission!**

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Leonardo and Raph headed topside, not speaking. It was frequently like that when there was no Donnie or Mikey to act as a buffer between the 'control freak' and the 'hot head'. It never ceased to amaze him at how alike but dissimilar they where... and it made him wonder how Obsidian and Lauzuli would be once they grew up...

Not that any of them had expected to 'adopt' siblings at the age of 15...

_Leonardo pointed his katana at a white van, stocked full of mutagen containers._

_"We have to get hold of that van!" He yelled, slicing at the Kraang droid blocking him from his brothers. _

_"How do they even get all this stuff?" Raphael demanded with a haughty sigh, kicking a Kraang droid backward, a following troop toppling over as well. _

_"They invented it, Raphael. Now is the not time to be a complete Shell brain!" Donnie whacked a Kraang droid into Raph's sai. "Oh, yeah? Say that to my face, D-" "_

_Can we do this later?" Mikey argued, as he faced the oncoming fleet and as Leo broke the lock on the back of the van. Michelangelo slapped a number of Kraang droids down, before backing up to Leo's side. "Uh, what exactly is our plan here, Bro?" He asked, cautiously. Raph and Donnie backed to the same level as Leo and Mikey, as the Kraang started to appear in overwhelming numbers. "Get in the van!" _

_"What? No candy?" Mikey joked, earning a look from his Leo and a quiet chuckle from Raph. "Just go!" At the command, they scattered. Mikey went over the hood of the car, latching onto the roof; Leonardo shoved Donnie in the driver's seat, then hung onto the side; and Raph flew into the car before it let out an unhealthy shriek and plummeted forward. "THIS IS WHY DONNIE DOESN'T DRIVE!" Mikey screamed, as the natural gravity of the car almost tore him off at the sharp turn. _

_Leonardo pulled out a katana and leaped up to meet Mikey's grasp and stabbed his weapon into the roof of the car. "Hold on tight!" He commanded, as the orange banded ninja latched onto the butt of the katana. Donnie screeched the car into a side alley, bringing them out on a different road with the Kraang not far behind. A laser blast barely missed Leo's hand and he turned sharply, preparing to deflect any more hits with his free weapon. "Gah!" Mikey shrieked. "Quick! Get in the back!" Leo commanded. "With the mutagen?!Donnie's driving! What if-?" _

_"NO WHAT-IFS RIGHT NOW." Raph growled from inside the van. Mikey gulped, and edged carefully down the back. He used the blade of his Kusarigama to hold a grip as he inched to his goal. He opened the back of the car, as soon as Don took another careless turn. "AH!" A single vial sprang at him, not shattering, but knocking Mikey off the speeding van and into the front window of the of an unsuspecting shop. Donnie slammed on the brakes and all three flew out of the car, weapons up and ready for the oncoming army, "Way to go, Donnie!" Raph hissed as they ran to the shattered window, avoiding the shrapnel, and peering in, missing the 'Daisy's Pet Store' sign. _

_Mikey groaned and pulled himself up off the tiled floor, being careful to brush the glass pieces off of him. The mutagen vial had flown out of his hands and backward into a small aquarium. Or, what remained of the aquarium. Two young, mutagen covered turtles regarded the four brothers before something odd happened. Their limbs grew longer, their bodies became upright, and watching it stunned the four brothers. 'This was us sixteen years ago. . .' The two newly mutated turtles seemed to become more self aware. "Leo. . . . LEO!" Donnie pointed at them, backing up slightly. The mutant with bright blue eyes stared at Donatello's finger pointed at his counterpart, and in turn shoved her off the stand, then looked back to the group for approval. Leo was at a loss for words. "Oh. .. . no. . ."_

Michelangelo had never realized how amazing music could make a story. Sure, he'd seen musicals on TV before, but there was something different about being not 50 feet from a live audience. Experiencing the story in person, about how life could turn someone who could've been good into someone Wicked. When he'd managed to tear his eyes from the stage, he'd stolen glances at Phoenix. During one of the numbers he would have sworn she was ready to burst into song along with the female lead. At last the stage was set for the final number. Two characters stood in spotlights as the last song began.

"_I'm limited_," Elphaba sang, "_Just look at me. I'm limited. And just look at you, you can do all I could'nt do, Glinda..._" She motioned to the other actress, "_So now it's up to you... _for both of us_. Now it's up to you..."_

"_I've heard it said, that people come into our lives, for a reason, bringing something we must learn. That we are lead, to those who'll help us most to grow, if we let them, and we help them in return." _ 'Glinda' sang, _"Well, I don't know if I believe that's true, but I know I'm who I am today, because I knew you..." _She smiled_, " Like a comet pulled from orbit, as it passes the sun, like a stream that meets a bolder, half-way through the wood... Who can say if I've been changed for the better? Because I knew you... I have been changed, for good..."_

Mikey unconsciously reached over and put his arm around Phoenix's shoulders. Before he could pulled back, she leaned against him, and relaxed. Wrapped in the magic of the moment, in the darkness there was no embarrassment, no fear. Just a sense of right.

_"It well may be, that we will never meet again, in this life time... so let me say before we part, so much of me is made from what I learned from you, you're here with me, like a hand-print on my heart, " _Elphaba sang the next verse,_ "Now whatever way our stories end, I know you have re-written mine, by being my friend...Like a ship blown from it's mooring, by a wind off the sea, like a seed dropped by a sky-bird, in a distant wood... who can say if I've been changed for the better? Because I knew you..._"

Glinda joined in, "_Because I knew you, I have been changed for good..._"

Phoenix felt her heart jump at the next lines.

"_And just to clear the air," _Elphaba continued,_ "I ask forgiveness for the things I've done, you've blamed me for..."_

"_But then I guess there's blame to share," _Glinda held out a hand to her friend,_ "And none of it seems to matter anymore!"_

Their voices blended together, the lyrics overlapping and swirling together with the notes of melody.

"_Like a comet pulled from orbit/Like a ship blow from it's moorings , as it passes the sun/ by a wind off the sea, Like a stream that meets a bolder/ Like seed dropped by a bird in the wood!_" The singers turned to one another and sang the last lines together: "_Who can say if I've been changed for the better? I do believe I have been changed for the better... And, because I knew you, because I knew you, I have been changed for good..._"

The last notes died out as the lights went down, and Phoenix found her hand wrapped in Michelangelos' once more.

The cold cement of her perch dug into her legs as she watched O'neil's apartment. Unlike other times, there was no endless wave of Foot backing them up. Too many people meant too many tounges that could wag. Dog-pound should prove adequate if the need arose. Kari looked across the darkness. To her disappointment, Leonardo had failed to follow through with her... little request. Pity. One sighting had been enough for her to decide to handle this personally. Yes, Fushicho was revered for her abilities, but she had never believed the stories of what happened that night, even from Bradford.

Shredder had sung praises of one who could harness such power; Saying that she would rise to rule the Foot clan with an iron will.

'She will rule NOTHING!' Kari decided coldly. 'She's not a _Tengu_, she's flesh and blood, same as everyone else. She may have fooled my father, but I'm not so caught up in vengeance that I can't see and exaggerated, foolish story!' The accounts of her so-called 'Powers' seemed too far-fetched to believe, and that was taking into account giant talking turtles and aliens bent to global conquest! 'She's just a girl,' Kari thought, 'and with only the dumb one as back-up, this shouldn't take too long. After all, if it bleeds, you can kill it.'

Dog-pound stood next to her perch, shifting his weight from foot to foot, betraying his nerves. He wouldn't question the daughter of the Shredder, but... Ohh... this was a _BAD_ idea.

**Yes... 'For Good' from the Musical Wicked. I do NOT own the song used!**

** Funny story, that... My original fic was completely Phoenix-centric, a classic 'power-house butt-kicking female ninja story'... and then I heard my sister listening to that song.**

**And I deleted the first 20 pages I'd typed and started over. Because I realized that this isn't about Phoenix, it's about Mikey. **

**My thanks to the writers of the song. It was incredibly inspirational.**


	24. Chapter 24

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Phoenix followed Mikey to another part of the city. It was after 1 am, and April would be home by now, he'd assured her. She let him lead, as she tried to sort out her thoughts.

When the lights had come up in the theater, she had been holding his hand; and although she'd waited for the awkwardness, the embarrassment, it hadn't come. 'Something's changed,' she thought, 'something unexpected.'

It was something more than friendship, she realized. It was Trust.

As rare as it was for her to offer friendship, it was far rarer for her to feel anything like this. Phoenix smiled beneath her mask. She would never doubt him, never question what he did... never expect him to hurt her. She felt a startling warmth suffuse her at the thought. This level of trust she had never felt before. It surpassed any form of connection she had thought existed.

Somehow... it seemed as though it should have a name stronger than simply "Trust".

Michelangelo was riding high on the evenings events. He'd seen something unique to New York, in the way humans did. 'Well...' he thought, '_Almost_ the way humans do!' He smiled to himself. It was more than just a play though, he realized. It was a memory he would hold on to for the rest of his life. 'My bro's think I'm an idiot, and maybe I am... but is it so bad to want to have this happen again someday?' The lights, the music... the way Phoenix had leaned against him, and allowed herself to relax. That alone was a kind of miracle.

He looked behind him just in time to see her barely duck before getting cloths-lined by a satellite dish. Could it be that she wasn't entirely unaffected by what had happened? He wondered. Then he saw the focus return to her purple eyes through her half-mask, and her feet became sure once more.

'I guess not...' he thought sadly as they approached April's apartment.

The lights where off inside as he slid down to the landing of the fire escape next to April's bedroom window. Mikey tapped on the glass, but there was no answer.

"It's too quiet." His voice broke the silence. "She should be home by now..." Phoenix stood next to him, worry filling her eyes. "Something's not right."

"Oh, Kiddo. You have **_NO_** idea how true that is!" A mocking voice came from the roof above.

Phoenix looked up, and although fire roared through her veins, kept her voice icy. "Hello... Kari."

Kari pulled off her half-mask and sneered at the two on the landing. "How predictable." She shook her head. "You've lost your touch, Fushicho. Once upon a time you would have robbed the place blind a been out over the roof before anyone even realized someone had been there." She a gave a little laugh.

"It must be the company you keep. The mediocrity seems to rub off. You could have picked one of the others to have as a pet. Even the scrawny one seems to have a working brain... but this one? What happened that you'd pick _HIM_?" Kari pulled out her sword, and motioned for Dog-Pound to stand ready to attack.

Phoenix let her blood boil, but did not show it. "Destiny picked him for me, and I could not have asked for a better choice." She gave a slow smile and Dog-pound growled at them. "I would wager the two of you are going to regret this." She unsheathed her Tanto knives and heard Mikey pulled out his nun-chucks. "Let's see what new tricks you're father has come up with since I left, shall we?"

Without a word Kari leapt down into the ally and beckoned Phoenix tauntingly. Phoenix followed her, and faced her one-time rival. Michelangelo turned, and looked nervously at Dog-pound.

'What the shell am I thinking?!' His mind yelled. 'All of us could barely take this guy! You think you can do this alone?!'

Phoenix's mind touched his briefly, and she gave him all the faith and confidence she had in him. He didn't understand what it was, but suddenly smiled, and whispered aloud: "I can do this."

Mikey jumped up onto the roof, and met Dog-Pound's glare with one of his own.

The two couples circled one another, waiting for their opponent to make a move. Kari lunged out and swept her blade through the air. Phoenix dodged, and spun out with a sharp crane-kick. Mikey moved first, and was knocked shell-first into a roof vent. Dog-Pound gave a low chuckle, and advanced.

Kari smiled smugly. _She_ had continued training for the last 5 years, where it seemed Fushicho had learned nothing new. "What happened?" She asked, arching one eyebrow. "A few years of easy living take all your fight?" She landed a blow to Phoenix's stomach and sent her flying into the side of a dumpster. "Too bad you didn't take the time to keep up with you're training!"

Phoenix stood, and re-affirmed her grasp on her control. 'Not even against Kari.' She told herself.

"There are many kinds of training, Kari." She replied, "Although you would have little use for the lessons I've learned. And I _KNOW_ Oroku Saki would have NO use for them." She blocked Kari's next move, grabbing her leg and using her momentum against her. Kari's feet where swept out from under her, and she roughly met the cold concrete of the ally. She rebounded with amazing speed and attacked again. Phoenix brought her blades up to block the attack, but the force of it shoved her backwards. In her mind she could feel another presence, drawing closer; And she knew that in this state, Kari would brook no interference.

Phoenix pushed off one of the ally's walls and leapt into a 'Tiger's Wrath' attack. As she brought up her knives, she saw Kari get into defense for the move. In the blink on an eye, Phoenix changed in mid air into a 'Dragon's Fury' attack. Kari's eyes went wide just before she slammed into a stack of metal trashcans. She tried to stand, but fell to the ground, unconscious. Phoenix looked upward, and saw Mikey still engaged in battle with Dog-Pound.

"What the SHELL is going on here?!" An unfamiliar voice demanded from behind her.

Mikey dodged and ducked Bradford's' swings. Phoenix had said everyone had at least two weaknesses, 'And...' he smiled to himself, 'I found one!' Simply put, Dog-Pound was clumsy. As long as you kept moving, he couldn't land a hit.

"Hold still, Damn you!" Bradford bared his teeth. "And I'll make your end quick, instead of dragging you back to Master Shredder... Oh, and the things he can put a body though before it breaks..."

Mike moved fast, and landed a blow to his shoulder, and another to his abdominal; All the while driving him back towards the edge of the roof. Confidence was a heady aphrodisiac, he realized. For the first time, he believed he could do something without his brothers. He aimed one more kick at his opponent's chest, only to have his ankle grabbed as Dog-Pound lost his balance on the edge of the roof.

Phoenix turned away from the fight, and looked at the familiar intruder. Michelangelo's brother regarded her with suspicion. "Donatello." She nodded. "If you don't mind, we're kind of in the middle of something." She turned back to what was going on above them. She moved to help, but then heard Mike's voice in her head as clear as if he was standing next to her.

'_I can do this..._' He seemed to say, '_Let me do this...ALONE._' She nodded in silence.

Donnie looked at her in disbelief. "Aren't you going to do something?!" He demanded, pulling his bo-staff from his belt, and preparing to jump to his brother's aid. Sneakered footfalls came closer, and a ginger-haired girl of perhaps 18 turned the corner at a run. She came to a screeching halt as Dog-Pound lost his balance and fell from the roof, taking Mikey with him.

Their forms tangled as they spiraled downwards into the ally. Mike moved in mid-fall and landed feet-first on top of Dog-Pound. To his dismay, the drop wasn't enough to even _stun_ the other mutant, let alone knock him out. With a roar, Bradford leapt to his feet, grabbed Mikey by the shell and slammed him into the brick of the ally wall.

Dog-Pound pinned him with one paw, and leaned in next to him.

"Do you really think that **you** have a chance?" He hissed into Mikey's ear, "Listen to my voice, for it is the sound your death... First for you, then_ her,_ and then the rest of your pathetic family!" He threatened, dragging his claws along the wall on the other side of Mikey's head, tearing canyon-like gorges in the brick.

Phoenix watched Michelangelo's face go from one of fear, to an expression... that she had never seen on his face before. Donnie lunged forward to aid his brother, but she stopped him with a restraining hand.

"What are you doing?!" He tried to pull away without success. "There's no way Mikey can win this!" His mind raced, going through all possible outcomes, and seeing his baby brother's defeat in the end of each one.

"Stop thinking like a scientist Donatello," She kept her grip on him firm, "And have a little faith."

April came up on her other side and watched as the unimaginable occurred.

Michelangelo's' eyes snapped open, as a voice resounded in his mind.

"_Take him Mike. You can do it. I know it_." It wasn't loud or passionate; it was quiet, and matter-of-fact... and because of that, he believed it.

To Dog-Pounds' confusion, Mikey smiled and made his move.

Mikey slammed his feet into Bradford's' chest. It wasn't enough to knock him over, but for a crucial split-second he lost his grip. Mikey slid to the ground, and rolled beneath Dog-Pound. He dashed over and grabbed his nun-chucks from where they'd landed during the fall. Dog-Pound lunged at him, his swiping claws meeting nothing but empty air. Mike ran towards the far ally wall that created a dead end.

He ran up the wall, and shoved off it, only to use Bradford as a spring-board, and use the next wall over to do it again. His opponent roared his fury, and managed to doge the next kick. Mikey jumped over him, grabbing the fur on the back of his head with one foot to hang upside-down as he struck Dog-Pounds ankles over and over again with his nun-chucks until he fell forward to his knees.

His breath came in heavy, wheezing pants. "What are you waiting for?!" He demanded. "Finish me!" He dared, "Are you so weak that killing is unheard of?!"

Michelangelo stood before him, spinning his nun-chucks, looking and feeling like a warrior for the first time in his life. He snapped the nun-chucks shut, and shook his head. "I don't think so. Shredder will do worse to you than I ever could... besides, I don't need _you_ on my conscience." He reached out with one foot, and pushed Dog-Pound over. He landed with a thud, eyes rolling back and knocked out.

Mikey turned to Phoenix, and grinned. He threw both fists up in the air.

"BOOYAKASHA!" He yelled it to the sky.


	25. Chapter 25

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"_Mikey_?" Donnie's voice emerged as a disbelieving croak when he could finally form words. "Mikey!" He spoke louder this time, and his brother heard him. Any worry he had been carrying for the last few weeks melted like mist in the morning sun when Mike smiled, and ran over to embrace his brother.

April felt a surge of relief when Mikey landed safely, but found herself watching his new friend as much as she watched the fight. The one Mike had helped, the one Dog-Pound claimed was insane... the one the Foot had called Fushicho. She hadn't helped Michelangelo. She'd stood by, and let him win the victory himself. More than that, She had _believed_ that he could; April had seen it in her eyes, and when he had stood triumphant, she could have sworn she'd heard her whisper '_That's a true hero..._'

She turned to her, and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you" Her tone suggested the contrary. "I'm April."

The other girl's violet eyes met her green ones through her mask as she peeled off her left glove and shook the out-stretched hand.

"I'm Phoenix." She replied. "Nice to finally meet you in person. Mike's told me alot about you." She turned to walk over to Don and Mikey, but April cut in front of her.

"Well, I'm afraid we haven't heard as much about you." April shrugged, "But then, we haven't really seen Mikey... AT ALL... in the last few weeks." She avoided eye contact and noticed the fresh scar on the back of her left hand as Phoenix shoved the glove back on. "Look, I don't know what your game is, but I'm warning you," She held up her index finger at eye level, "If you hurt him, there will be no place you can hide from us."

"If he had wanted anyone to see him, he would have let them." Phoenix replied coolly. "You consider him your brother, so I'm not offended that you worry about him." She reached up and pulled Aprils' hand out of her face. "I am offended that you think I would hurt him. Hear this, April O'Neil:" She felt that odd emotion pushing upward through her again, "Don't ever fool yourself into thinking that you are the only person that cares for him. I would lay down my life before I would let him come to harm."

"You didn't help him during the fight!" April countered in a harsh whisper. "How do you explain that?!"

"He didn't _NEED_ any help." Phoenix emphasized. "He took down Dog-Pound without anyone else. I knew he could do it. And, more importantly..." She kept her gaze steady, "Now HE knows he could do it."

She released April's arm, and walked past her towards the two brothers.

Donnie reached up and grabbed Michelangelo's shoulders. "What where you thinking?!" He demanded. "You could have been..." He couldn't bring himself to complete the sentence.

"Well, I wasn't." Mikey shook his head. "Don... I'm sorry if you where worried about me, but..."

"WORRIED?!" Donatello threw his arms out. "No, I _WORRY_ about an experiment! What I, and everyone else has gone through in the last three weeks go's beyond WORRY!" He glared. "Sensei doesn't sleep, Leo has nightmares, and Raph has been out picking fights with the Purple Dragons so he won't fight with us!"

Mikey drew in a slow breath, and spoke slowly. "Don... did you not just see what I did?" He gestured towards Dog-Pound.

"Of course I saw it. What dose that have to do with anything?" Donnie replied dismissively.

"EVERYTHING." Mike emphasized. "Last month, do you think I could have done that?" He shook his head, "No, the real question is 'Would I have even been given the chance to do that?' NO." His blue eyes held Donatello's brown one's. "That was ME. Not you, or Leo, or Raph, but ME! The family screw-up!" A grin broke his face. "I'm learning... I'm figuring out stuff about me that never would have occurred to me if I was at home. I can't explain." He touched Don's arm lightly, "But I am sorry if you've all been afraid for me. I didn't mean for that to happen."

For a moment, Don stood shell-shocked, his mind racing, his emotions in an uproar. The journal entry leapt to the for-front of his memories.

_"Every time I say something intelligent, I make a joke so it sounds like an accident... They all think I'm too dumb to think for myself, even Master Splinter... Sometimes I agree with them... Maybe I should stop fighting it."_

When he found his voice again, he asked the question that had hovered at the back of his mind since the night Mikey had disappeared.

"Are you coming home?" Don asked softly.

"Of cores I am..." Michelangelo replied, "Just not yet." He held up his hands as Donnie started to sputter. "I don't care what Bradford said, she's not dangerous." He turned to Phoenix, and waved her over. "Phoenix, this is Donatello, Don, this is Phoenix."

"We've met." At her response, April's head snapped up and she listened intently. "I just didn't recognize you standing on the ground rather than falling off a building." She joked with a smile, and shook his hand. "Shoulder troubling you?"

"No... Um, that is, it _was_ dislocated, but it was easy enough to fix." He explained as if there where nothing unusual about the situation. "But may I suggest a less... exposed venue to continue this conversation?"

Kari opened her eyes to an all but empty ally. She pushed herself into a sitting position as the memory of what had just happened returned. Fury filled her, but it was dwarfed by the metallic taste of fear that filled her mouth. She hadn't thought the situation could have gotten worse, but with their failure, it had. 'If Father has his way, and she returns to the Foot... If he should learn of this night...' She thought, her mind rioting with images of what could happen.

Even she was not completely exempt of his temper, she knew. Kari stood, walked over to Dog-Pound, and nudged him with the side of her foot. He didn't move, but he was obviously still breathing. Good, losing him would have been _very_ tricky to explain. She glanced around, and found the remains of a bottle of soda in the trash scattered about the ally. She opened it, and dumped the contains on his face.

With a hacking roar, Bradford sat up and wiped the sticky, artificially-flavored orange liquid from his eyes.

"What the... Kari." He shook his head. "The two of us covered in garbage... how the mighty have fallen." He pushed himself to his feet, and shook his head, as if to clear it.

"I didn't see what happened." Kari looked at him with curiosity. "What... they teamed up and handed your furry ass to you?"

"Something like that." He replied vaguely.

"We have to go." Kari glanced around. "Tonight never happened, understand?" She whirled around and grabbed his vest. "If I go down, I take you with me. Is that clear?"

Dog-Pound was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Transparently." 

April wasn't sure when the situation had gotten beyond her control. She now had two mutant turtles and one female... something in the living room of her little apartment. And here she was, passing around sodas and making small talk, as if nothing had happened in the last month. Phoenix's mood towards her had changed drastically after their conversation in the ally, as if they where friends that had just had a minor argument.

Part of her had been afraid that Mikey had changed into a stranger, but from the minute Donnie had sat down and hit a whoopee cushion, she had dismissed those fears.

Don watched his brother's friend carefully. She didn't remove her gloves when April offered her a coke, but had accepted it and opened it. He heaved a secret sigh of relief when she took a deep drink from the can. After another 10 minutes, he stood.

"Well I have to get going, the guys'll be wondering what happened to me!" Don smiled and hugged Mikey again.

"Don... can you give this Zuli and Sid?" Mike handed him a sealed envelope.

"Sure Mikey." He looked at the honest and trusting face, and hated himself for his deception. "You two be careful. Call us if you need anything, ok?"

Mikey nodded, and Don disappeared out the window. He climbed onto the roof and hid in the shadows cast by the water tower. He watched as Mike and Phoenix went from the fire escape to the nearby building and took off. Don silently dropped back down and went back inside. April looked up with a start. "I thought you'd gone." She glanced around. "Did you forget something?"

"Yeah." He nodded, and walked over to an empty soda sitting on the coffee table. He pulled a plastic bag out of one of the pouches on his belt and put the can inside, careful not to touch it with his skin.

"Donnie... what are you doing?" She stared at him as though he'd done something crazy.

"There should be enough DNA on this to get a working profile." He explained. "I need to know who and WHAT we're dealing with. All I know is that she's not entirely human." Don tucked the bag away. "I don't care what Mikey says, I don't trust her, and I need the truth." He flipped open his T-phone and smiled. "And she has NO idea that I'm tracking her..." he hit a button, and a dot on the screen started to blink, "Even as we speak."

Phoenix couldn't shake the feeling of un-ease in the pit of her stomach. Her mind argued with what she'd learned about Don from his brother. He hadn't asked the questions a scientist would ask; He'd made small talk about training styles. She FELT his impatience, his curiosity... and guilt. She'd expected the fist two, but the guilt threw her a little. Guilty about what? Something he'd done, felt? Or... WAS doing? She frowned as another thought occurred to her: Tonight she'd seen Michelangelo with other people that cared about him was she... dear God, was she _Jealous_?

Mikey came to a screeching halt a mile from her apartment, and glanced around.

"Mike? What is it?" She asked in a hushed voice.

"Did anything that happened back there seem... well, weird?" Mikey shook his head. "I know Don. He wasn't acting like himself." He gave her a troubled look. "Was it just me?"

"No, I felt it to, but I thought..." She shook her head, "Nothing, I just didn't want to give you trouble about your brother the first time you'd seen him in weeks."

"That's just it!" Mike paced the roof. "I know Donnie. Heck, I know him better than he dose! And the way he was acting? He only dose that when he's up to something."

"But up to what?" Phoenix asked. "He was relieved when I accepted a soda. Relieved. " She waved her hand. "That I get. He wanted my DNA, and it's ok with me." At Michelangelo's look of incomprehension, she continued. "I'm smart, but even I've never been able to run my genetic code by myself. If Donatello can, I might be able to finally get some answers about myself."

"So you're ok with him stealing your building-blocks?" He looked at her.

"He's not about to send it to the government if it looks weird." She replied. "That would worry me more."

Mike froze, and stared at her. "Don't move."

"Mikey?" She remained motionless as her crept towards her, and pulled what looked like a tiny plastic disk off her shoulder. "What is it?" She leaned over and looked at it. "What do you think it is? It's not Foot-tech, at least nothing I'm familiar with."

"No...It's one of Donnie's self-camouflaging tracking devices." Michelangelo's voice went cold. "I may not always pay attention, but I DO listen."

"I can't believe he would do that!" In a rare display of temper, Mikey let his fist fly into the concrete chimney at his back. "I thought... I thought maybe..." He closed his eyes, and shook his head in frustration.

Phoenix layed a gentle hand on his arm. "He want's to protect you... Having never had anyone feel that about me I don't have much room to talk, but it seems kind of... nice." Her eyes found his. "Don't be upset with him, Mike. He was only doing what he thought was right. As for this," She picked up the disk with the tip of one finger, "I'm not keen on _Anyone_ knowing where I live. Anonymity is one of the few things I have to keep me... or rather US for being detected by the Foot. I guess the real question is what do we do with it?" Phoenix said, "I mean, we could just crush it, but then your brother would know we found it." She frowned.

"Hmm..." A mischievous gleam lit Mikey's eyes, "How about we send them on a wild goose chase?"

"Wild Goose?" She asked is surprise, "I don't understand the meaning."

"It just means we send them off in the wrong direction on purpose." He grinned, "Only in this case it's a 'Wild Pigeon chase' instead!" He snuck across the roof, and caught a cubby pigeon as it moved to fly. "Gotcha!" Mike quickly attached the tracking device to the upper leg of the bird, and released it into the air. "Let's see Donnie track _that_!"


	26. Chapter 26

**Oh... no one got my reference to the ****_best _****Mikey fight of all time...Boo**

**(2003 series, season 4, Episode titled 'Grudge Match')**

**Favorite. Mikester. Episode. Ever.**

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Donatello reached the newest search grid, to find Leo and Raph returning from setting surveillance on the block.

"So the blister finally shows!" Raph complained.

"Blister, Raph? Really?" Leo rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Yeah Blister. Show's up when the work is done?" Raph waved him away. "Never mind that, where were you?" He looked at Donatello. "You try to convince April to give you a kiss goodnight?" He smirked.

"Actually," Don paused dramatically, "I was talking to Mikey and his new friend."

"YOU WHAT?!" Leo and Raph shouted at the same time.

Donatello fought laughing aloud. It was rare, but every so often when certain situations arose... they look exactly the same. He quickly suppressed the jocularity, and explained.

"April and i walked in on Mikey and, she calls herself Phoenix, in a fight with Kari and Dog-Pound. " Donnie explained, "They kicked the living shell out of them."

"Well, that's not too surprising." Raph commented, "_We've_ had trouble with those two, and well... Mikey's Mikey!" He looked at Don. "What, you jump in and save the day?"

Don face-palmed at the comment. "You misunderstood the premise of the statement." Donnie shook his head. At their blank looks, he continued. "Kari and Dog-Pound where the ones who had their proverbial butts kicked, not vice versa."

A new respect mingled with a more intense fear filled Leonardo. "She must be one shell of a fighter."

Don nodded. "She is, but Mikey... he just... wow." He tried to verbalize what had happened. "She took out Kari without breaking a sweat, and then stood their and let Mikey take down Dog-Pound... **_ALONE_**."

Fury hardened Raphael's face. "Wait... she let him do that alone?! Where dose she get off putting him in danger like that?!" He whirled on Donnie. "And you just let him leave with her?!"

"Did you expect me to drag him back?" Don countered. "After he'd just proven he could take care of himself? Not my style." He pulled out his T-phone. "Now putting a tracking device on one of them..." he held up the display screen, it's little dot still blinking, "That's more my thing."

"Let's go!" Raph headed for the edge of the roof, but Leonardo stopped him with one hand, and pointed to the skyline with the other.

The horizon had already gone purple streaked with magenta and orange.

"We have to get back to the lair." Leo loathed the thought of waiting another day, but making the hard calls was what being a leader was all about.

The sound of hammering coming from Phoenix's studio woke Mikey a few hours later. He walked in, and almost caught a piece of wood paneling in the face. He ducked his head into his shell with an exclamation of surprise.

"Mike! Ohmygosh! Are you alright?" Phoenix asked quickly.

He popped his head up and gave her a grin. "Man, I LOVE being a turtle!" He looked around with a slightly puzzled expression. "What, did you join a construction company while I was asleep?" Shallow boxes and panels of wood littered the room, along with packing peanuts.

"Nothing so dramatic." She rolled her eyes, "It's just one of the many things that get me labeled as 'eccentric' in the art community." She lifted the canvas of 'Raphael' and placed it into one of the boxes, so it nestled snugly in the packing materials. "I pack the paintings myself, I oversee the framing, and I place them in the gallery." Phoenix flushed slightly. "A few people have gone as far as to call me obsessed."

Mikey looked at the portrait she had placed in the box, and smiled. "What will you call it?" He wondered out loud.

"This one? I think 'Aramusha' (Ara-moo-sha). It means 'Fierce Warrior'." She smiled. "Appropriate, don't you think?"

"And this?" Mike touched the one done in swirls of white and black, mingled with silver and red.

"That one I'm calling 'Yami ni ochita' (Ya-me nee o-chee-ta)." She didn't fight the sadness that filled her at that. "It means 'Fallen Into Darkness'... it's Kari." She explained, and touched it with the tip of one finger. "She always hated me... and I never knew why. Part of me thought that there had to be a way to show her I wasn't her enemy, but as it turns out, there wasn't." Phoenix smiled sadly. "So I stopped trying. Then the shit hit the fan, as you would say, and I left." She turned to the next canvas, and picked it up. "Unlike this one." She smiled, and looked at Mikey. "Idaina shisōka, (id-i-na she-sew-kaa) AKA 'Great thinker' AKA Donnie." She touched the next one. "Splinter, Waizu kyōshi (Why-zoo Keyo-she) or 'Wise Teacher'," The next, "Shredder, Aku de ressun (Ah-koo de re-sue-un)." She frowned. "Called 'A lesson in evil."

"What about you? Your self-portrait?" Mikey asked, gesturing towards one of the two left on the rack.

"That one? Easy." She picked it up and shrugged. " It's Tamashī no hansha, (Ta-ma-she no han shaa). A soul's reflection." Phoenix picked up the last one. "And then there's you." She couldn't explain why it was important that he understand why this painting was different than the others. It wasn't about who he was, but who he was becoming, who he would be.

"It's called 'Watashi wa anata o shitte itanode, watashi wa towa ni henkō sa remashita. (Wa-ta-she waa ana-ta oo Shi-te it-an-do, wa-ta-she waa to-wa nee hen-koo saa rema-shi-ta)"

He stared at he, and raised an eyebrow. "You call it what?" He shook his head when she opened her mouth to repeat it. "Never mind. That's a mouthful. What dose all that mean?"

She felt a surge of trust mixed with something warm; "This one needed more than two words. It's not just how you see yourself, but how I've come to see you." She handed him the painting. "It means, 'Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.'"

Leo and his brothers ducked underground as the city slowly stirred to life. Seconds after they pulled the man-hole cover shut, a garbage truck rumbled overhead rattling the iron circle.

"That was too close." Leonardo spoke as they dropped into the sewer tunnel. "We have to keep a closer eye on the time when we're topside."

"I'll set alarms on the T-phones," Don suggested, "That way we'll at least have a warning." He reached into his belt and checked the tracking device. It was still going strong, but appeared to have stopped for the time being. Donnie put his phone back, and felt a piece of paper tucked into the same pouch. 'Mikey's letter.' He thought. He didn't know why he'd kept it from Leo and Raph, but somehow reading it was crossing a line. 'The tracking device is to protect Mikey, but what ever he wrote is none of my business.' He frowned as they headed back to the lair. 'Of course his journal was none of my business, and I read _that_.'

The lair was awake and noisy when they returned. Obsidian attacked the practice dummy with a pair of wooden swords that Mikey had given her last Christmas... with her bandanna on backwards so her vision was obscured. Blow after blow fell perfectly. Lazuli watched TV... while standing on his head. His yellow mask kept slipping down his face, and he absent-mindedly fixed it with his left hand, maintaining his balance on his right hand. At the sound of their brothers entering, they both stopped and looked.

For the first time, Leonardo noticed they scanned the faces of the three, and their own fell in disappointment. His feelings surprised him... the fact that he'd let the two of them down bothered him. And... he had to admit, he was a little jealous of the relationship Mikey shared with their younger siblings. Even as the 'Leader', he had no idea how to get that kind of bond.

"You _three_ find what you where looking for?" Sid asked casually, trying not to clue her little brother in that something was wrong.

Leonardo shot her a sudden look of un-natural anger at the question. For a moment he look like he was... well, like he was Raph.

Sid recoiled instinctively, trying not to let the hurt show through. Leo found himself in the wrong again, and had no idea how to fix it.


	27. Chapter 27

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The last of the paintings where boxed, awaiting the arrival of the delivery company. Phoenix slipped into a set of less casual attire, consisting of a set of tan slacks with a cream blouse and matching jacket. She pulled on a pair of wedge heels, frowned at herself in the mirror, and reached for her contact lens case.

Mikey looked up when she walked into the living room, and gave a start of surprise. "What happened?" He asked. "Don't try to tell me that you can just change your eye colors."

Her normally violet eyes where currently the color of good dark chocolate, both bitter and sweet. She gave a little shrug. "No one in the Foot has seen my face in over four years," She explained, "but purple eyes aren't common in any part of the world. I do this when ever I have to go out. In this case, contact lenses."

"Too bad. Your normal eyes are really pretty." Mikey spoke before he'd considered what he was saying, and instinctively flushed.

She didn't notice, to caught up in the compliment to pay attention. "Thanks... but I've always preferred blue eyes, myself." She shot him a sideways glance. "I think blue is fascinating, there are so many shades... from the color of midnight to that bright, sweet blue of a summer sky."

Any response Mike might have made was ruined by the door buzzer going off.

Phoenix sighed, squared her shoulders, and went to answer it.

Donnie sequestered himself in his lab after telling their Father what had happened. His reaction hadn't been what Don had expected at all. Splinter had stroked his beard, and looked... _pleased_ when Donnie had recounted the fight. There had been none of his own or Raph's outrage at Michelangelo being left to defeat Dog-Pound alone. If anything, he seemed to approve of the tactic.

What worried Donatello the most was Splinter's frequent and probing question's about 'Phoenix'. He wanted to know everything Don had observed, everything that had been said, down to _how _it'd been said.

Donnie shook his head. 'It wouldn't surprise me if he called April down here tomorrow to hear her version of what went on.' He thought. He heard Leo in the next room arguing with Zu about changing the channel to watch the next episode of 'Space Hero's'. It sounded like Lazuli had the remote and was leading him on a chase around the lair. Don shrugged to himself, and pulled up the tracking signal on a large screen. It showed that it had stopped around Broadway and 89th.

"Gotcha." He smirked, imagining the look on her -unmasked- face when they arrived to being Mikey home. He looked at the clock, and pulled up his mutagen research.

Mikey made himself scarce as a couple of 'burly dudes' (as he called them) loaded the cases containing the canvases on to a couple of hand-carts, and went to the elevator.

"I'll be right there!" He heard Phoenix call out, and ducked away from the door when he hear her approaching.

"I have to go." She apologized. "It'll be a couple of hours, but I'll be back as soon as I can."

"No problamo!" Mikey smiled. "I'll find _something_ to do while your gone and I'll make sure not to burn the place down! Oh, FYI..." He added, "The brown contacts really work on you, but don't you think that used car guy'll notice the diffrence?"

"Charles? No." She shook her head. "All he sees when he looks at me are dollar signs." Phoenix glanced behind her. "I'll see you later!" She turned around, walked away, and a moment later Mike hear the frount door shut.

Mikey shook his head. She still didn't think that Charles looked at her as a female.

'Maybe that's for the best,' he thought, 'If she really believed he was hitting on her, she'd hit him! Literally!' Mike went out into her living room, and poked through the movies she had out. To his delight, he found not only classics, but a slew of newer super-hero movies as well. 'Hmmm... 'Dark Knight Rises' or 'The Avengers'?' After an second's deliberation, he chose the latter.

"This new Batman series is just depressing. Stick with the team players any day!" He spoke aloud. As the commercials started to play he ran to the kitchen and buzzed up a bag of microwave popcorn. As the movie began, he looked at the characters differently than when he'd watched it with his brothers.

There was no Leo yelling at Captain America to take charge, no Donnie explaining why some of the technology couldn't possibly work, no Raph yelling at Thor or the Hulk to bring the smack-down. To his surprise, he began to sympathize with the different people... even the villain.

Exhaustion began to claim him as Iron-man tried to fix the propeller, and Michelangelo soon found himself falling asleep... wondering if Don had kept his promise to give the letter to Sid and Zu.

Donatello sat in his spinning chair and looked up at the celling. There where 239 cracks in the plaster above him. He knew, because whenever he had a problem he needed to focuse on, he'd tilt his chair back, push his mask onto his forehead, and count. Maybe it was stupid, he admitted to himself, but it seemed to help. This problem though... it wasn't a matter of science, but rather of conscience.

'What I should be doing is handing that letter to Sensei,' he thought, 'but how can I, when I told Mikey I'd give it to Zu and Sid?'

He held the sealed envelope up, and stared at it, as if willing it to share it's secrets. The lab was so quiet... so much so that a drop of water falling from the pipes overhead sounded like a stone when it hit the floor. It was what he always claimed he needed to work, but after three weeks of it, the silence of his own lab threatened to drive him insane. Don shut his eyes, and tried to focuse. His heartbeat pounded in his brain, and his breathing sounded like thunder.

His eyes snapped open in frustration, and he broke his own rule. Donnie slid the letter into the top drawer of his desk, and turned on the music playlist he kept on his computer. It was his private stash his brother's weren't aware of. They expected Vivaldi or Mozart when he picked the tunes... not Bon Jovi.

He hit shuffle and shut his eyes. He smiled, and let the music wash over him.

"_Tommy used to work on the docks, the union's been on strike, he's down on his luck, it's tough... so tough. Gina works the diner all day. Workin' for her man, she brings home her pay for Love... for Love... She says, 'We gotta hold on to what we've got, it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not, we've got each other and that's alot, for Love... we'll give it a shot' Ohhhh, we're half-way there, ohh-ooh! Livin' on a prayer! Take my hand, and we'll make I swear, Ohh-ooh! Livin' on a prayer!"_

Phoenix hung the paintings in the empty gallery in the fading late-afternoon light. Her only company was her I-pod, and her own voice. She stunk, she would admit in a heartbeat, but if no one was around... did it matter?

"_Tommy's got his six-string in hock, now he's own'ng the man when he used to make it talk so tough... ohh so tough... Gina dreams there're running away, when she cries in the night, Tommy whispers, 'Baby, it's ok... it's ok.' She says,_" Phoenix smiled, and sang along, "_ 'We gotta hold on to what we've got, it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not, we've got each other and that's alot, for Love... we'll give it a shot' Ohhhh, we're half-way there, ohh-ooh! Livin' on a prayer! Take my hand, and we'll make I swear, Ohh-ooh! Livin' on a prayer!" _'I LOVE this song!' she thought. _" Ohhhh, we're half-way there, ohh-ooh! Livin' on a prayer! Take my hand, and we'll make I swear, Ohh-ooh! Livin' on a prayer!"_

She hung the last painting with it's name plaque, and gave a sigh. 'Now for the hard part,' she thought, 'Coming tonight.'

Phoenix pushed the door to her apartment open and re-locked it once she was inside. She walked into the living room and stopped, the sight making her smile. Mikey had fallen asleep watching a movie, it seemed. The DVD had gone back to the menu, and a half-full bowl of popcorn was balanced precariously on his lap. She went over, and just looked at him. He seemed so innocent when he slept, as though the world hadn't ever tried to harm him. She knew better, but part of her was relieved that he could, perhaps, find that innocence once in a while.

Phoenix reached out, and touched his shoulder.

His eyes shot open, and the bowl of pop-corn went flying. He was on his feet, wepons drawn, before he realized what had happened. The bowl had landed behind her, leaving her coated in buttery scented blobs.

"Uh...Hi! You're back!" He fought back a laugh as a clump of kernels slid down her hair to plop on her shoulder. The urge to laugh was infectious, and she found herself giggling as he helped her pull the sticky mess from her hair. Once they where done, he found the vacuum while she showered and changed her clothes.

To his surprise, she emerged not 20 minutes later in her daily wear, not party clothes.

"I thought you where going to the opening tonight," Mike asked in confusion, "What's with the threads?"

"There's a car coming for me at eight," Phoenix explained, "It's only five now, and I see no reason to torture my feet in those stupid shoes any longer than I absolutely have to."

"Aren't you excited?" He looked at her. "I mean, it's your art! Don't you want to know what people think about it?"

"Normally, I would. But not with this series." She looked at him intently. "I only care about one person's opinion... it's the only one that matters."

He looked confused for a moment, and the flushed as he realized what she meant. "Well... there's got to be something good about these shin-digs!"

"Not really. The food's ok, I guess. And there's always music, and a place for some dancing, if you like that kind of thing." She shrugged. "Not that I dance."

Michelangelo looked shocked. "You don't DANCE?" His light blue eyes had gone wide. "That's no prob! I can teach you!" He smiled to himself, and didn't notice the odd flash of panic that ran across her face.


	28. Chapter 28

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Raph pounded his body-bag with renewed vigor. He hated waiting. Action meant doing something, action meant getting somewhere. Sitting around waiting for night was... was just frustrating. Infuriating. The outside of his punching bag began to split again as his attacks grew more intense. He gave off a noise that was a cross between a growl and a sigh, and reached for the duct-tape for the 3ed time.

Leonardo had gone into the dojo and tried to meditate. Normally the feeling of peace, the connection to some for of higher energy was simple to find. Not today.

'Tonight we'll find him.' Leo thought. 'Tonight we bring him home.' Somewhere along the way, the idea that Michelangelo knew what he was doing had been lost. All that mattered was finding a way to get him back. Obsidian and Lazuli weren't stupid; they already knew that something was going on. 'They just don't understand how serious this is.' His back cramped, and he opened his eyes.

Obsidian stood in front of him, watching him with interest.

"Gah!" He let out a startled exclamation, and fell backwards. "Sid, what are you doing in here?" He asked as he sat up.

"I wanted to talk to you for a second." She bit her lower lip, but then continued. "I know why Mikey hasn't come home yet."

"You do?" He attempted to keep his tone light, even though his mind was yelling 'YOU DO?!' Leonardo smiled a little to mask the nervousness. "Then tell me. What do you know?"

"That he's learning from someone else, and that she's cool and that Mikey likes her teaching him stuff." Sid explained in rapid fire succession. "Oh! And he wants Lazuli and me NOT to touch any of Donnie's experiments."

It was Leo's turn to stare. "What the... Obsidian, I need to know how you found out all of this stuff." He asked firmly.

"Easy. Michelangelo told us." Sid smiled as she explained. "He wrote us a letter."

"Relax," Michelangelo smiled unintentionally at the unsure look in her eyes, "It's just dancing, nothing dangerous."

"Depends on how you define 'danger' I suppose..." She mumbled to herself. "Mike, I'm not sure I want to spend time learning to dance. Besides," She added with sudden inspiration, "There's no music."

"I thought of that," He intercepted her excuse by pulling out a small battery-powered radio and switched it on. A popular pop tune sang through the air with a slightly tinny sound. He grimaced slightly, but shrugged and put it on the arm of the sofa. "It's not a live band, but it should work."

The male vocalist was praising the dancing of a girl, saying '_The way you move ain't fair you know..._' as Mikey put her hand in his, and placed his other one on her hip. Phoenix tensed, and moved to pull away, but stopped when she thought she detected a very real flash of disappointment in his eyes. He _wanted_ to dance with her? She didn't know what to think about that. Instead of following through with her first thought, she forced herself to move and let him try to teach her how to dance.

She looked down at her feet, and tried to keep from stepping on his as they began to move. The music had a steady beat, so that even someone with her lack of musical talent could follow it.

'_Hey, soul sister, ain't that on the radio, stereo? The way you move, it ain't fair you know... Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you dooo...tonight..._'

Mikey pretended not to notice that Phoenix seemed nervous... which surprised him. She was so confident and ready to take on the world when facing their enemies, but right now she was a couple steps short of afraid.

"Relax." He said it again. "You're so stiff I'm worried you'll break if I move to fast." She didn't respond to that, just kept watching their feet as though she was counting. "Is something wrong?" She looked up at that, so he hurried on. "I love dancing, it's something I've always been great at. I'm sorry if I was being pushy... I shouldn't have been." Mikey stopped moving, and started to back away.

Phoenix felt a jolt of dismay. "No, Mike." She kept her grip on his hand. "I'm just not use to this much personal contact. But if someone is going to teach me to dance, it'd better be you." She summoned a smile, and made herself stop counting steps. "I could never learn from anyone else, y'know?"

A grin blazed suddenly across Mikey's face, and he pulled her against him more firmly. "Ok, why don't we just have some fun with this then?" He surprised her by dipping her toward the floor without warning. "Just follow my lead. You're a natural, I can tell." He pulled her back up to her feet, and began to move once more with the rhythm.

That dip had stopped her heart. Not because it had scared her, but because it had felt so... so _right_. She felt the beat of his heart where his wrist pressed against hers, and let the rythm pull her in.

'Like doing Tai-chi,' she thought, 'Only you're relying on another person instead of going it alone.' Her hips began to sway as he lead, her motions more fluid.

Donatello heard Leonardo's exclamation across the lair. He closed his eyes for a moment, but then smiled. He'd done the right thing, regardless of whether or not his brothers agreed with it.

'Look at me,' he thought, 'Seems that we all have a little inner rebel!' A door slammed, and loud foot falls approached. 'Aw shell.'

Don looked around, and then did what any genius turtle would do: He put his 'Working, do NOT disturb hanger on the door, and locked it. No one ever burst in when he was working. The one time they had, it had almost destroyed the lair. There was a pounding on the door followed by half-muttered threats about brothers getting what was coming to them, that finally gave way to receding foot-steps. He pulled out the soda can he'd gone back for, and set his dna analyzer to scan it. It would take most labs a couple of days to get a full genetic profile, but their first run-in with the Kranng had pushed him to build an upgraded model. He'd have her profiled by sun-up.

Leo pounded on the lab door, and waited. When there was no response, he went to force it open, but stopped. Don would be out when he was done, not before. It was just the way he worked.

Leonardo found himself thinking in terms he'd usually associate with Michelangelo. Things like "_What where you thinking?" _and "_How could you do something that stupid?!_" Not stuff he'd normally say to Donnie. It was almost enough to make him wonder if the world was flipping on it's head.


	29. Chapter 29

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Music, it seemed, was one of Michelangelo's gifts. Phoenix smiled as the radio changed up songs for the fifth time. Each song changed the way he approached the dancing, the speed, the touch... even his pulse changed to match the rhythm. She was proud to think that she hadn't even stepped on his feet once! It was funny suddenly, that she'd been afraid to do this. Mikey didn't do anything more than be her friend, and that by itself was relieving... and at the same time, disappointing?

'Don't even go there,' her mind warned her, 'you can be greedy enough to want him in your life, but don't think that there can be anything more to this. You ask for anything other than friendship, and you might as well have stolen him from his family.' She acknowledged it, even though she wanted to throw it out. The song playing now was slow and dreamy, encouraging her to let her head drop on his shoulder, with his cheek hovering a scant inch from the top of her head.

It was just a pity that any feelings she was discovering, she was discovering alone.

The tension less than a half-hour before had been high. He'd been nervous, and she's been terrified. Somewhere along the way she'd managed to relax, while he still hid his nerves. It wasn't that he was worried about dancing with a girl, heck, he'd taught April how to dance! But somehow this mattered more, far more than he'd intended. Teaching her how to dance had been meant as gesture of friendship, hoping to remove the awkwardness that had been in the air since they'd gone to the theater.

Instead, he found himself sliding a little deeper, into something new.

Something he didn't have a name for, but something he could happily drown in.

'_We've got tonight... who needs tomorrow... we've got tonight... why don't you stay?' _Bob Seager sang over the radio,_ 'I know it's late, I know you're weary... I know that your plans don't include me... still here we are, both of us lonely..._'

Phoenix looked up, and found Michelangelo staring back. They where swirling now, slowly still, as if he knew this state was fragile. But each swirl sent her a little closer into his arms, and she reached a point where she just stopped thinking and felt. She reveled in every second, forgetting everything except the feel of this moment. Felt warm and wanted. Felt happy and cherished. And whatever the reason, she could feel something... more. Something magical.

The thick rug scuffed beneath their feet, impending her ability to glide the way the music called for, but it didn't seem to matter. Not here. Not now. All that mattered was this moment.

The sudden buzzing of her cell-phone startled her, making her feet trip, sending her into Michelangelo's chest. She moved to push away, her face red with embarrassment, when her palm landed atop where his heart pounded.

And something happened.

It was as if, for an instant, She and Mike became one. For that moment, it was as though they where one entity, a single soul split between two bodies. And the sudden understanding of _why_ the two of them had a connection since their first meeting was crystal clear. After all, who better to understand an empath than another empath?

The phone buzzed again, and Phoenix pulled her hand away as if she'd been burned. She grabber her phone, silently cursed, and answered it.

"Yes Charles... what is it?" She half-listened to his rambling until he mentioned he'd be there with the car in 30 minutes. "Wait one second... I though the car was coming at 8!" She rolled her eyes, and nodded. "Fine. The sooner I get there the sooner I can leave." She hung up, and turned to face Mikey.

"Car salesman showing up early?" He joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah. Apparently I'm in too much demand to show up late!" Phoenix noticed that the music had stopped, and with it the sense of calm. The tension jumped back up, and she turned away. "I have to get changed."

The alarm went off in Donnie's lab, signaling that it was time to get ready for patrol. He unlocked the door, and poked his head out. He looked around the lair, and , seeing no one, went out to retrieve his bow. Leonardo stepped from the shadows behind him.

"Don!" His voice reflected his anger.

Donnie shut his eyes. "DRAT." He turned around with a neutral expression on his face. "Yeah, Leo?"

"What the shell where you thinking?!" Leonardo demanded. "You just happened to forget to mention that letter to us?!"

"No I didn't." Donatello cut him off mid-rant, "It just wasn't any of you business."

Leo gaped at him like a beached fish. "Wasn't any..." He shook off the shock, and continued. "So Mikey gives you a letter for Sid and Zu and you don't mention it, and you don't see anything wrong?" Don shot him a hard look. "Have you lost your mind, or have you decided to trust Mikey's new besty?"

"Neither." Donatello replied slowly, understanding just starting to dawn. "I decided to trust our brother." That was the truth of it, he realized. "I decided to trust Michelangelo." The words felt foreign on his toung.

"You have finally gone off the deep end." Leonardo stared at him as if Don had said "_The key is in the chicken!"_

"I saw him fight last night, Leo. You didn't." He gave a quiet smile. "He took on one of Shredder's top fighters, ALONE." He emphasized the last word. "A month ago, I would have said it was impossible. But IT HAPPENED. He IS learning, and... and he's still Mikey!"

At Leo's questioning look he elaborated. "He whoopee-cushioned me at Aprils."

"So his fighting is better... and?" Leonardo glared. "You should have told us.

"Fine. Go ask Sid. She'll let you read it." Don offered. "I already did," he added "And there wasn't anything weird in it. No secret codes, no hidden messages." He looked at his older brother, and felt like someone had slapped him with a fish. "Wait, this isn't about the letter... my God... you're jealous?"

"Don't be ridiculous Don. Jealous of what?!" Leo snarled.

"Jealous that she's been able to reach Mikey when we couldn't, that she kicked your shell, heck, that Mikey took down Dog-Pound!" Don shook his head. "But she did, he did! And I think you're scared. Scared that Master Splinter was right. We both heard Sensei say that Michelangelo has more potential than the three of us combined. And you're worried that maybe he was right." After all," Donatello added, "It's damn easy to brush off potential if nothings being done with it..."


	30. Chapter 30

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Raph heard the argument start, and (acting against his nature) didn't jump into it. Lazuli had told him about Mikey's letter, and then had handed it to him so he could read it himself. Raphael hadn't even realized Zu could read. There hadn't been anything in it, but somehow it made him a little less angry.

'If Mikey's w'itin letters, maybe he IS ok.' The thought surprised him. It seemed unnatural that Mike could do something right intentionally, but ... a memory cut through his thoughts...

_They where young, perhaps 5 years old. They where in the dojo... the tree was alot bigger to him then... Mikey smiled brightly as Splinter demonstrated the next kata they where to learn. Leo and Don attempted to copy it, getting stopped and corrected by their sensei. After a few trys, Leo had it almost right. Then it was his and Mikey's turn. Splinter watched as Raph moved through the kata too fast, making mistakes, being told to start over. Mikey looked at Sensei, and began the kata at the same speed Rapheal had. Splinter opened his mouth to tell him to begin again, but the words never came. _

_Michelangelo had preformed the kata perfectly. He was montioned to do it again, and did the kata three more timie without a mistake. He'd smiled and hugged their father at the praise he'd recived... but that smiled faded quickly under the glares of his older brothers. Glares that had turned into the words of angry children when their father hadn't been there._

_The next week when they where given another kata to learn, Mikey did the same thing, except... _Rapheal tried to figure out what had been different the next time..._ Mikey'd messed up at the end... on purpose._ Raph's eyes snapped open. _He'd started making mistakes intentionally, so his brothers wouldn't be mad at him._ He let out a sharp breath.

"Shell, Mikey. " He muttered as Donnies last words where fired off at Leonardo.

"We both heard Sensei say that Michelangelo has more potential than the three of us combined. And you're worried that maybe he was right. After all, it's damn easy to brush off potential if nothings being done with it..." Don had stalked off to get his tracking device, leaving Leo alone.

Leo walked out of the lair, into one of the abandoned subway tunnels. Raph followed him silently, not sure what would happen. Leonardo stopped, and stood still for a moment. Raphael wondered if he should let him know he was there, when Leo began talking.

The decrepit tunnel stretched out before him, it's darkness yawning for what looked like forever. A single dim light hung from the ceiling, bathing one small part of the area in a faded yellow glow. One of the pipes that ran along the wall leaked noiselessly, creating a puddle the size of his shell. Leonardo began pacing, and speaking.

"More potential... yeah. I know." Leo looked up at the ceiling as if he where speaking to someone. "I KNOW he has talent. We ALL know it! But he doesn't know! He doesn't CARE. He can't focus long enough to remember a simple plan, and we're suppose to be ok with him out there alone?" To Raph's shock, Leo slammed his fist into the wall in desperation.

"Why?! WHY should that kind of talent go to someone who mocks what we do? Who doesn't even care about our family enough to come home?!" He whirled around, his voice growing louder. "To someone who'd trust a member of the Foot instead of his own brothers! WHY?!" He fell to his knees, his own face reflected in the pool of water that had collected between the long-deserted tracks.

"Who'd trust a member of the Foot..." His voice broke, and slid to a whisper as he regarded his refection, sudden self-disgust apparent on his face. "I'm one to talk." He spoke bitterly. "_I _trusted the Foot over Mikey... over my own brother." His hand flew out, shattering the image in the calm water. "Stupid... God, what's wrong with me..." He pushed himself to his feet, and brushed the dirt off his legs. "Find Mikey..." He spoke aloud. "And _ask_ him if he wants to come home."

Michelangelo restlessly roamed around as Phoenix changed into her 'one-party-outfit' as she called it. His face pulled a frown as he heard her complain out loud about 'evil heels'. 15 minutes later he heard the door to her bedroom open. He turned, and his voice escaped him.

She wore a dress the color of blood, the sleeveless V-neck showing off her feminine figure. It swirled down to just below her knees. A gold chain hung around her neck, along with red ruby teardrops at her ears. And her hair... lord it was glorious. That was the missing ingredient. It hung down past the small of her back in a tidal-wave of midnight black.

Until now, he'd seen her as a friend, a teacher, and maybe... maybe something more. But suddenly, she was a woman. A beautiful, talented, _Goddess_.

'Why did I even think that there could be anything between us?' He thought bitterly. 'She could pick any _human_ guy, and he would chase after her. She deserves better than a mutant with low self-esteem.' He felt a surge of jealousy, envy, and self-hatred.

To his surprise, her eyes widened, and she took a half-step back from him. "What's wrong?" He asked in confusion.

"Mike... um, I don't mean to sound cranky, but could you tone that down a bit?" She asked, flinching as another jolt hit her. "For another empath it's a little painful."

"_ANOTHER_ empath?" He looked at her in disbelief, "And tone WHAT down? What are you talking about?"


	31. Chapter 31

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Her look of discomfort evaporated under the rising tide of fear mingled with anger. "What am I TALKING ABOUT?" Phoenix tried to grasp what was happening. "Mikey, are you telling me that you where never tested for empathic abilities?" He shook his head. "What kind of teacher ignores the obvious signs? " She fumed, but quickly calmed herself at Michelangelo's confused face.

"You think I'm... what was it? Empathic?" He looked at her and slowly began pacing again. "Are you sure? Master Splinter knows a lot of stuff. He'd know if something like that was in me... At least I think he would."

"Maybe he didn't realize what was happening." She sat down, and watched him pace. "Let me ask you something: Have you always known when someone in your family was upset? And if they where angry, you just wanted to make them happy?" He nodded. "And has it gotten more intense in the last five years?" Another nod. "Hmm... and you never meant to share your emotions with me when I was painting, did you?" She asked sadly. "It was so clear... I thought it was intentional."

"I did that?" Mikey spoke softly. "I didn't know I could. Is that why we felt connected when we fought together that first time?" He began to piece it together. "And why you and I can kinda... I dunno... read each other's minds sometimes? But only sometimes. Sometimes I can't feel what you're feeling... but I can still tell that you're there."

"And you don't think you're empathic?" She patted the seat next to her. "It's a good thing and a bad thing." She shook her head. "If you can sense you're opponent's emotional state during a fight, you can use it against them. On the other hand, it can be the biggest distraction on the planet. I'm assuming no one has taught you how to do a basic shields... although it's amazing how well you can function at 18 without any real training!)

"Shields? Nope. Sorry." Mikey tried to apologize, "Distracting how? And what do you mean function for 18?"

"Think of it... like a police radio." She explained. "You are like a scanner that's fully open to every person using a radio. Without knowing the frequency that's yours, it'll be a fuzzy mess. And the more people you're around, the fuzzier it'll become. If it's just the two of us, or just you and your brothers and father, it's not so bad. But New York has eight million people, and at any given time, you're sub-contiuos is trying to push out or listen to anywhere from 25 to 1,000 or more set's of emotions. At the least it'll look like you have ADHD. At the worst... without training, it can make you insane."

"Wow." Michelangelo went strangely quiet for a moment. "So if I learn to... shield from this stuff, it'll help me?" She nodded, and he went quiet for a moment before continuing. "Why me?"

"Anyone who has these... abilities asks that at some point I'm told. I've never told anyone other that my teacher about this. That's why I figured you hadn't mentioned it when I realized we where the same." At his questioning look, she continued. "Enough people look at me like I'm a freak already. I don't need to give them another reason. As for why you? Well, why me? Why any of us? I don't know. I just know that we have to choose what to do with the abilities that have been given to us."

"Can you show me how to deal with this stuff?" He asked eagerly.

"Of course I can, at least some of the basics. How to keep people out of your own mind, how to tap into someone else's if needed... and once you advance enough, there are ways to heal..." The door buzzed, interrupting their talk. "Crud. That'll be Charles."

She picked up one of the fliers for the art show, and handed it to Mikey. "Meet me here, the roof, at 9. We can get started then."

By the time Leo returned to the lair, Raph was sharpening his sai's and Donatello was pulling up the latest location of his tracking device. There was the sound of foot-falls, and all three turned to have their jaws drop.

April stood before them in a little black dress, heels, with her ginger hair brushed to a copper-penny sheen.

Raph gave a little whistle, and a grin. "Shell Ape! What're you off to? A movie premiere?"

Don didn't speak, couldn't speak... He gulped in air, trying to find the words. He was always good with words, but right now he was just grabbing in the darkness. Finally, he found himself following _Mikey's_ advice of all people!

_'K.I.S.S method Donnie! Keep it simple stupid!_'

"April..." He looked into her eyes, that looked somehow bigger, and more luminous, "You look beautiful."

Leo and Raph exchanged surprised glances at Donatello's smooth delivery. Even more surprising was the blush that covered April's face at the compliment.

"Thanks Don..." She pulled her eyes away from his, and looked to Raph and Donnie. "As for the outfit, well..." She gave a sigh, "My Aunt talked me into going to a gallery opening tonight. Not hard to do, it's a new Japanese artist. What she didn't tell me was she'd set me up with a DATE!" Her voice turned furious. "And she keeps telling me what a 'nice boy' he is!"

"Maybe one of us should follow her, and make sure he doesn't try anything!" Don jumped to his feet.

"I'll be fine!" April insisted. "Besides, his name is, get this, _Arnold_!' She burst into giggles. "How can I feel threatened by a guy named Arnold?!"

Raph smiled and gave a loud laugh. "Yeah, it's kind of hard to be scared of that!" He nodded. "Have fun, and if he tries anything..."

"I'll give him a kunochi butt-whooping, or speed-dial you guys!" She promised.

Minutes later April was on her way, and the guys took off towards that little blinking light.

**Shout out to Puldoh! (Like my LOTR reference?) [;] )**

**And a thousand thanks to all of you that have read and reviewed!**

**Especially to:**

**Erica phoenix16!**

**I'm awesome and y'all know it!**

**Pistachio lover! **

**Stillwater 745!**

**MissCookie!**

**Prettyflower34!**

**Loving Leo!**

**ActTMNT!**

**TMNTfreak!**

**Horzana!**

**Indigo Tides!**

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**ToscaThorCat!**

**Demigoth C. Emo!**

**Dondena! **

**Fabina127!**

**Upwards of 100 thanks to you all! (I think I got everyone... if I missed someone, please feel free to yell at me!) -But not to loudly, or you'll scare off my muse!-**


	32. Chapter 32

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Phoenix bit her lower lip as the town-car pulled up to the gallery. It was already busy, the 'elite' crowd on NYC out on the town, trying to look important. The driver opened her door, and the music of a modern pop group filled her ears. She gave a brief frown, but then fixed a serene sphinx-like smile on her face before walking in the gallery. The noise made by the patrons reminded her of the geese in central park. She stifled a giggle as she imagined them as water fowl.

Several men where watching her, and normally she'd just brush it off... but what Mikey had said stuck with her. Did guys find her attractive? It was a puzzling thought. Even more puzzling was the thought that she didn't CARE if other guys found her attractive... much like this collection, she realized only one person's opinion mattered. She had ditched Charles at the door while he was busy kissing up to the gallery owner. It pleased her to see that her reputation for being a _little_ eccentric had paid off. None of the portraits had been moved, the lights were exactly how she'd angled them... now if she could just do something that awful music! She saw a young man running the sound system, and walked over.

"Excuse me?" She spoke clearly. He looked up, and stuttered for a moment.

He'd seen her come in, and Lysa who owned the gallery had told him to keep away and keep his mouth closed, something about '_Artists don't mingle with the help._'

"Um... Hi! I'm RJ. Can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you could change the music." She asked as the newest song yelled '_I Don't Care! I love it!_' Phoenix grimaced. "Not really my slice of pizza, you know?"

RJ nodded rapidly. "Sure... I'll change it! After all, this is your show, right? You're her, the artist?" He fiddled with the computer, and looked at the playlists available. "What do you like?"

Her mind flashed back to dancing not two hours ago. "Well... some thing like that song 'we've got tonight'?" She asked cautiously.

"Bob Seager! That's a classic! " He smiled as Lyra stormed over. "Would you prefer a classic rock playlist instead, -Nashi?"

"Very much so." She felt the approach of that... woman with the overpowering perfume. "I understand that Charles has his own idea of what should be played at these events," She smiled, "But I end up with such a migraine if I listen to that pre-packaged pop too long!" She smiled at RJ as the song ended, and a new genera of music began.

"What do you think you're doing?!" A Snobby Bostonian accent demanded from behind her.

Phoenix turned to look at Lyra with cool disinterest. The woman was obviously in her late 50's... perhaps 60's and was trying to pretend she was sub-30 still. Dyed hair, too much makeup, and dear god... she should NOT be shopping at the teenage boutiques!

"Your charming young man was changing the music selection for me." She increased her accent slightly, giving her voice a more mysterious feel. "The music that you selected was not appropriate for this collection. "

"I assure you that uI /u did not choose the music! It was your agent!" The bleach-blond squawked.

"Very well. I will have words with him." She turned her back to the gallery owner, and gave RJ another smile. He winked. "Thank you for your help. It is greatly appreciated." She walked away smoothly, thinking how much that young man reminded her of Mike.

April took a cab to the gallery, and waited outside for her 'fake date'. She checked her watch, and frowned. It didn't say much for his manners if he thought keeping a girl waiting was ok. Another cab pulled up. A tall, lanky young man climbed out. His hair was black, a little too long, and he looked obviously uncomfortable in a suit. His back was too he as he paid the cabbie, and she cleared her throat. "Uhh... Arnold?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" He turned around, and his face when pale. "April? What'r you doing here?" Arnold 'Casey' Jones looked at her in disbelief.

Michelangelo made his ways through the sewers towards a place he'd found years ago. A natural cave with a pool of water. The only way in was to swim through the tunnel cut by an underground stream. Not sewer water, mind you: honest-to-God spring water. He'd found it by accident, while breaking the rules about swimming alone. He stood in it now, dripping wet, and looked around. It should have been pitch dark, but a hole above the pool of water went strait up to the surface. During the day the sunlight reflected off the water and it was as bright as day. But at night... the light from the moon caught on the crystals in the water, refracting the moonbeams to one another until the entire cave was filled with light.

He'd never shown it to his brothers, for some reason... no not for 'some reason' he acknowledged. For A reason. He didn't want them to take away the beauty he saw... didn't want them to turn something special into something ordinary.

He carefully worked a stone loose from the wall. A small one, compared to some of the others in the ceiling and the water. It was perhaps 2 inches long, by an inch wide roughly. He'd seen this one when the moonlight had lit it up, and had seen the images that the gem's flaws seemed to create. Mike smiled as he made a plan. He dove under water, and after reaching the access tunnel, headed towards the lair.

"Your real name is _Arnold_?" April demanded in disbelief. "And here I thought I was getting set up with a nerd! But Noooo..." She continued sarcastically, "The 'nice boy' my Aunt sets me up with is a vigilante nut!"

"Don't look at me! I got shanghaied into this mess too!" He glared. "I didn't ask to got to some 'art show' y'know!" He tugged at the tie around his throat. "Who invented these damn things? Feels like I'm being strangled!" He turned and really looked at her. 'Whoa..' he thought.

"Casey, you don't have to stick around." April sighed. "I was just surprised it was you, and not someone else. I actually WANT to see this collection, so why don't you head out?"

"And what if some'in happens on your way home?" He thought of with sudden inspiration. "My Ma'll have my butt. So I'll see ya home, and we can pretend like we went to this t'ing together."

"FINE." April wasn't crazy about the idea, but it was better than getting a lecture from her Aunt about 'T_his is why you don't have a boyfriend_' for the next three-days. "But this isn't a date!"

"What'eva you say babe!" Casey's smile dropped as April whirled on him and twisted his wrist painfully.

"Don't call me 'babe'."


	33. Chapter 33

**My thanks to the Leo fans for not flaming! I realize that his meltdown seemed a *little* out of character, but sooner or later all that control has to snap! **

**132 reviews! Whoo Hoo!**

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The tracking device had stopped moving a half-hour ago, some where near central park. The three of them moved in toward their target, only to have it begin moving again. It was sporadic. Move, stop, move fast, stop... in a seemingly haphazard fashion.

"What the shell is 'dis girl thinkin'?" Raph muttered under his breath.

"Don, do you think she's on to us?" Leo asked quietly.

Donnie shook his head. "I think that if my tracking device had been found, that it would've been destroyed. It's still transmitting, and it is attached to a warm-blooded person."

"So she's not a snake or a turtle. Good to know!" Raphael spoke snidely. "There a point to this information?" They ducked behind a brick partition wall along the roof tops, and peered over.

Raph, part of the way of invisibility is the way of _Silence_, remember?" Leo spoke in hushed tones. "And if you don't can it, you'll give away our positions!" He glanced around the next roof, and gave the signal to move. The previously clear evening had given way to cloud cover, and the scent of rain.

Michelangelo crept into the lair silently. He could hear the sound of the TV on in Master Splinter's room, along with the dialog of a Japanese soap opera. He smiled to himself, some things never changed. He looked around from his hiding place, and realized that his brothers must've headed out on patrol. He eased the door open to Donnie's lab, and picked up a couple of little things he was going to need before checking on the kids. He intentionally left a couple of things out. He wanted them to know that he was starying away by choice, not because someone was forcing him to...

Mikey walked into Lazuli and Obsidians room, and tip-toed over to them. They where asleep, Sid flat on her mattress, spine perfectly strait. Zu was spread out, one leg and one arm off the bed. Mike smiled, and slid the limbs back under the covers. He kissed their fore-heads, and for the first time since he'd woken up in a stranger's house, he felt homesick.

He walked to his room across the hall, and went inside. It was _almost_ the same... but... there was something different... 

He gasped out loud, and went to were his mirror had hung. Gone. He pulled out the loose brick, and shoved his hand into the special hiding place he'd created, and felt the blood rush to his head. His journal was missing.

He looked about his messy room, know full well that he would never leave it out! It was pushed half-heartedly under the pillow on his bed. A new emotion rose up and squashed the feeling of home-sickness: Anger. Someone, one of his family, had... He couldn't describe it. It **HURT**! It was as if someone had gone digging through his soul, and had left filthy foot-prints over his hopes, dreams and secrets. . The guilt he'd felt about planting the tracking device on a pigeon fled. 

He left his room, journal in hand, and decided to do something crazy...

"Watch out boys..." He thought, " -stien is in the house..." He smiled to himself, and knew exactly what to do.

Phoenix pasted a fake smile on her face for the hundredth time, and accepted complements from people that had NO idea what they where looking at. She turned to accept a drink from one of the waiters, and almost dropped it when she saw who had walked through the door. April O'Neil.

'What the shell is she doing here?!' Part of her tried to panic, while her logical side tried to calm her down. 'You have different colored eyes,' it soothed, 'And you where wearing a mask the entire time you saw her! As Mike would say: Chill a pill and take one!'

April turned around, looked strait at her, and... and nothing. There was no look of shock, no recognition. 

The night had gone overcast, but it was warm enough to walk without a coat. Mikey stuck to the shadows, and made his way downtown. The gift he'd created rode snugly in his belt pouch. It had taken 5 attempts, but the end result had been worth it. Lucky for him Don's lab had everything he needed.

He smiled as he imagined his brother's faces when they got home... He ducked swiftly as a news chopper flew overhead. He'd been quiet enough not to disturb Master Splinter's tv marathon, but not quite enough to remain un-heard by the lightest sleeper in the house. 

_'He'd set up three of the most creative, if low-key pranks in his career. He'd just put his 'surprise' in the fridge, when the sound of small foot-steps caught his ear. He'd turned, and been caught by two low-flying green missiles. Sid and Lazuli tackled him, and knocked him to the floor. Only then had the taken a moment to see who the intruder was. Zu had hugged and hung on, and Sid... Sid had been trying not to cry in a very Leo-ese fashion. Then the walls had tumbled down, and she'd grabbed him around the neck in a tight embrace. _

_They'd wanted him to tell them everything, to stay and not leave. At least Lazuli had. Obsidian had gazed at him with those un-readable eyes, and asked him what had happened. She knew, he realized. She figured out that something had changed... but then, she'd always had those 'feelings' about what had happened, what was going to happen..._

Mikey's eyes flew wide at the thought. Was it a coincidence, or destiny? From what Phoenix had told him, true empaths where rare. And of the six mutant turtles in existence, two of them could possibly...

He shook his head to clear it. Jumping to conclusions was something he did a lot. Another thing he needed to work on. 


	34. Chapter 34

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Casey tugged at his tie again. 'Who invented these things anyways?' He wondered for the eighth time that night. He'd noticed a tall girl chocolate-colored eyes in a red dress studying them from across the room... more than once. 'What the shell?' he thought with a smile. 'April said that this ain't a date, so maybe I should mingle.'

The girl stood looking at one of the paintings, studying it, not smiling, but not frowning either. She was Asian, wearing a red dress, holding a fluted glass in one hand idly. She looked almost board... as if contemplating dropping her beverage just to liven thing s up.

Casey walked up next to her and pretended to get what the fuss was over smeared paint. Before he could say anything, she spoke.

"Are you planning on asking 'what do you see?' or one of those cliché art lines?" She didn't even look at him.

'Shell, there go's my opener.' He thought, 'Let's try a different tactic.' "Well I was, but you don't look very happy with what you see, so I think it's a moot point."

To his surprise, she laughed softly. "Not at all. Different works of art draw out different emotions. So I guess the correct question would really be not 'what do you see', but rather 'what dose it make you feel'?"

Casey turned to the painting again, and this time let himself really _look_ at it.

"It kinda reminds me of my best friend." He didn't realize he'd spoken out loud until she motioned for him to continue. "He's ticked off at the world most days too..." he gestured to the portrait, "And who ever this guy is, he's looking for a fight." As if on cue, his text alert went off. "Sorry... I've got to take this..." he flushed, and flipped his phone open.

"Take your time..." Phoenix smiled to herself, and moved on to the next painting.

The text read: '_Tracking Mikey's friend. You feel like giving us a hand?_'

Jones typed back. '_Sorry, stuck doing something for my Mom tonight. See you on patrol later. If you guys get in hot water, send me the emergency signal_.'

"Well Casey ain't on tonight, least wise, not right now." Raph spoke quietly after receiving the reply.

"Pity." Donnie shook his head as their quarry moved again. "We need to split up. This is far to random... well, to be random!" At his brother's incomprehensive looks, he explained. "It's like they chose the most annoying route to take on purpose!"

"So are we going with the idea that she knows?" Leo glanced around. "If so, I want update texts every five minutes. If you run into trouble, send out the emergency signal."

The split up, planning on surrounding that elusive blinking light.

Mikey found the address Phoenix'd given him. Posh, upper-class area, with l_imos _no less, pulling up! He passed a shiny steel chimney stack, and looked at his refection. Not quite 5'10", green skin, six fingers total, and four toes. Not bad, overall...

He looked through a skylight, and saw her... and simply watched.

Her hair fell in a cascade of black, a crisp contrast to the blood red of her gown. The two colors made her ivory skin appear even more ethernal, almost like moonlight. She turned and gave a small smile to one of the patrons. She did not speak often, not to them, the 'normal' humans; But to him she opened not only her voice, but her mind. After her revelation that his 'instincts' could be a legitimate ability, he'd began running through the many times he'd realized what she'd been feeling, or was about to say before she said it.

Michelangelo did his best not to stare, even though no one was watching. He didn't want anyone to see him gaping like a infatuated fool... not that a sane person would think to connect a pitiful mutant with an Asian siren. He ducked away when someone looked up, and sat on the roof. Somehow she'd come to care about him as a friend... and he wouldn't ask for more.

'I'm practically her little brother...' he thought, 'get your brain away from even thinking that!' She was all of those things he'd shouted at her: beautiful, smart, strong, compassionate... the list went on.

She deserved more than a Mutant that could never show his face in daylight.

April listened to a couple argue about the 'meaning' of one of the paintings and resisted rolling her eyes.

"Because it's obviously a statement on the world!" The middle-aged man said carelessly.

"No, I think it's more of a landscape." His wife disagreed.

April looked at the painting, and then at the title. Her eyes widened, and she made a face.

Phoenix watched as April looked at the painting again, and then nodded. "That makes perfect sense." She spoke as though she didn't realize it was aloud.

"What was that, young lady?" The gentleman asked.

"What?" April looked startled. "Oh, just that once you read the title, the painting makes sense." She gestured to it. "It's called 'A Study In Evil'... rather fitting I'd say." She looked again, and felt a single finger of fear trace up her spine. An almost familiar feeling... Errie...

She looked over at the girl in red, the one that had been talking to Casey before he'd been pulled away to answer his phone. She turned, and made eye contact across the room, but still was a face she didn't know. The girl in red saw a man walking towards her, and spun about, making a bee-line for the ladies bathroom.


	35. Chapter 35

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Phoenix closed the door behind her, and was relieved to find the bathroom empty. She sank down onto a small padded bench across from the sink and closed her eyes. Coming tonight had been a mistake, she realized. 'Harsh,' she thought, 'but true.' She met her own gaze in the mirror, and frowned. It didn't make sense... the last three shows she'd had? She actually enjoyed! She'd had such a rush knowing that people saw her work and liked it. When the critics had raved, she had been ready to... to...

Reality hit her suddenly, and her thoughts came to a screeching halt. None of the people, conversations, or complements tonight had meant anything to her.

Someone tried to tell her what they thought one of the paintings meant, and she remembered the thoughts and feelings going through Michelangelo's mind while she'd listened to his stories. Another offered to buy the collection, and she'd responded with anger, not the cool but graceful indifference she'd learned to use. Phoenix rubbed the back of her neck. Several men had complimented her art, but had looked at her with interest... and all she could think of was the expression on Mike's face when he'd turned and saw her. Oh, that look of... well, she didn't know what, but she wanted to hug that moment to her forever.

The music from the next room filtered through the door and the words where clear...

'_I can't fight this feeling any longer, and yet I'm still afraid to let it flow... what started off as friendship has grown stronger, I only wish I had the strength to let it show... I tell myself that I can't hold out forever, I say there is no reason for my fears... 'Cause I feel so secure when we're together, you give my life direction, you make everything so clear... And eve as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight, your a candle in the window on a clod, dark winter's night... And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might... I can't fight this feeling anymore, I've forgotten what I started fighting for...'_

What WAS the feeling that she kept having rise up within her? She didn't know. It was so confusing, this warm, almost overpowering feeling...

She shifted on the bench, and moved one of the pillows along the back, wanting the cool tiled wall against her spine. A book was shoved under one of them. Phoenix picked it up, and looked at the cover. It was worn, and the only word she could make out was 'Gideon'...

She let it fall open to where the silk ribbon bookmark was and read the first line.

They almost had her cornered, Leo smiled. The signal hadn't moved in almost 30 minutes, and they where closing the net. He still wasn't sure what they where going to do when they found them. Yes, ask Mikey to come home. But what about his... _Friend_? What if she wasn't the strong and wise teacher that Mikey had made her out to be? What if her true colors reveled something ugly.

Most importantly: What if that happened, and his baby brother fought for her, not them?

Raph paced in the shadows, like a caged beast. He wanted his brother back, darn it! Even if this girl was all sunshine-peaches-an-cream, NO ONE messed with their family... no one messed with his... best friend. He acknowledged it.

No, Casey was a friend, a good one, a ugreat/u one. But his little Bro was his best friend, and that it had taken losing him to someone else to make him realize it... Raph darted to the next set of shadows, and began pacing again.

Don followed the tracker, and smiled smugly. 'I'm too good!' He thought. His mind wandered to April, and wondered how her evening was going. 'Stuck with some guy named 'Arnold',' he shook his head in silence, fighting back the feeling of jealously. And he was. He'd deny it to his brothers, but... iHe/i wanted to be able to take her to an art show, or to a movie, or even just be able to have her be able to take a picture of them together! But he couldn't, because of what he was.

He would never give up his brothers, his family. But sometimes... He sighed. Sometime he wished he could give up being a turtle.

The three moved in closer, and soon found themselves on the same roof. They made eyes contact, and looked around in confusion. The roof-top was bare, nowhere to hide... and empty. A flock of pigeions sat together, giving off those little 'coos' they where so famous for.

Donatello felt a foreboding grow in his gut, and walked to where the signal was coming from. With ninja-swiftness, his hand shot out and grabbed one of the birds. He looked it over, and saw his little device.

"DARN IT!" he shouted into the night. He let go of the bird, and smacked his palm into his head. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID!" The crushing disappointment swamped him, and hot, angry tears gathered in his eyes.

"Don..." Leonardo asked softly, "Was this a diversionary tactic?"

"Call it what it is, Fearless!" Raph's voice was filled with fury. "A wild-goose chase! A waste of time!"

"Raph!" Leo turned to his hot-head brother.

"No, he's right." Donny spoke up before Leo could continue. "I was so sure of my own brilliance that it never occurred to me that she found my tracking device; Let alone put it on something else." He looked down. "It's my fault. I should have just followed him. I should have... done something!"

Leonardo watched as the purple-wearing turtle shook from guilt and self-loathing.

"It's all our faults, Don." Raph spoke suddenly. "We drove 'im away. Never lis'ned. Never took 'im seriously. So he found someone who did. Can't blame 'im." He didn't notice the other two staring at him. "So we go back t'what we where doing before. We keep look'in. We don't just quit."

Leonardo smiled, and nodded, a bit shocked at the words coming out of Rapheal's mouth. "We don't quit." He looked at his brothers. "So we go set another block... tomorrow night." He looked up at the overcast sky. "It's suppose to storm."

"Mikey hate's storms." Raph spoke softly as they headed for the sewers. 'I hope he's ok...'


	36. Chapter 36

**Apologies to my peoples! **

**I was planning on posting the next chapter yesterday, **

**but life has a way of interfering with plans, right? **

**So here it is! **

**Enjoy!**

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The book fell open about half-way through. The purple silk ribbon that had marked the page was frayed at the end... the book was old. The page was thin, but someone had underlined several sentences. Phoenix saw the words, and her eyes widened.

_'If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.'_

Phoenix touched the page in shock. She had never heard such a idea, that you are nothing without... Love? She continued reading.

'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.'

The last line leapt out at her, as her heart and mind argued over the truth of what had happened.

_'And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is Love.'_

She smiled at the realization. Wasn't that what she'd been trying to understand? Trying to fathom why it felt as though she'd been only half-alive before meeting him?

'Do I LOVE him?' Her heart pounded, and she felt dizzy for a moment, then a cold fear touched her. 'And what if he doesn't feel the same?' The better question was 'Did it matter?'

Even if he didn't, this knowledge was a gift, Phoenix smiled sadly. A gift she couldn't refuse.

She touched the book, closed it, and picked it up. She would ask the gallery owner if someone had asked about it... someone must've left it their by accident.

Phoenix walked to the sink and turned on the cold water. Phoenix wet down a paper towel and pressed it against the back of her neck. She needed fresh air, and quiet. She glanced upwards. The roof was appealing.

The door of the bathroom opened, and April walked in. She went to the next sink over, and touched up her lipstick. "Hey." She made eye-contact in the mirror.

"Hi." Phoenix replied, and dried her hands... April glanced down, her eyes fixating on the back of the other girl's left hand.

On a familiar-looking scar.

Michelangelo settled down on the roof in a sheltered spot away from the door. He'd brought a couple of things with him from the lair, one of which was his journal, the other... his sketchbook.

He'd told her the truth when he'd said he didn't paint. He didn't count work on Raph's bike or his skateboard as 'painting'. But if he had a decent charcoal pencil? He could draw anything. He'd sketched his family before, April, and Casey... now his pencil seemed to fly on it's own. That _look_ she'd shoot over her shoulder with 'damn-your-eyes' fire... the expression on her face when she'd found him cooking them breakfast... the dreamy, innocent smile she'd given him while they where dancing. He wished he'd remembered to grab his colored pencils too! With the right colors, and a little shading, he could... could...

Mikey shut his drawing pad with a snap. 'I've got it bad.' he admitted. Suddenly the sketches seemed a bit stalker-ish. 'What's the matter with me?' He put the book into the back pouch on his belt so it was disguised by his shell.

The sky continued to darken, and the breeze picked up. He didn't mind the rain, but he disliked storms. When he was a child, Mikey would go running to Raph and ask him to 'protect him from the scary sounds!' Mike smiled to himself, and then frowned.

He missed his brother. Not that he _didn't_ miss Leo and Don, but Raphael was his best friend. Whenever he wanted to do something, Raph would be right there. If he ever needed a partner in crime to prank Leo, it was him; If he went down in a fight, Raph was the first one there to make sure he was ok. The two of them where like opposite sides of the same coin, really. He the prankster with the agile feet and fast mouth; Raph with his hot-headed rage and juggernaut like strength. He'd spoken to Leo, and seen Don, but the one time he'd talked to Raph was the first time he'd called April and he'd threatened to show up and kick Mikey's shell.

Mike felt a light touch of fear grip his belly. He **was ** glad he'd done this, met her and learned, but... God, he wouldn't _ever _ be able to go home if all of this had made Raphael hate him. Leonardo would react to his homecoming with lectures: a couple hours worth every day for at least a month; Donny with passive-aggressive coldness that he'd only be able to keep up for about a week, (if only because it took too much effort to stay angry, at least that's what Don had said in the past...) but Raph?

If he decided to hate firmly enough... well, then it could last a lifetime.

And if that happened, he would leave home for good.

Mikey pulled out the disposable cell phone from his belt, and flipped it open. He looked at the screen, and typed in a number, then contemplated hitting 'call'.

**A special shout-out to Pistachio lover; Whose writings have delved into the complex and powerful bond between Mikey and Raph! ****My thanks for making me dig more deeply into how losing his best friend would affect Raphael.**

**And for making me cry when I read one of your stories: That doesn't happen often, so that story is going into my favorites!**


	37. Chapter 37

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The lair was still quiet when they got back; Sid and Zu where apparently still asleep, and the smell of incense told them that Master Splinter was meditating.

"I'm going to check on the scan I have running." Don commented to no one in particular, and walked to his lab. He sat in his chair, and pulled up the computer program. He'd left the DNA analyzer running Phoenix's cell samples all day, but it still had a few hours before anything conclusive came out.

Don sighed, and leaned back in his chair. He glanced around the room, and froze.

'Was that set of pliers out when we left?' He silently asked himself. 'And that silver wire?' Donatello stood, and went to the offending items that where out on one of his work-tables. 'Maybe I left them out?' A yawn interrupted his thoughts. 'First thing's first: I need more coffee.'

He switched of the coffee pot and dumped fresh grounds into the filter basket. He waited, poured a mug, and downed it quickly. He filled his cup again, and went back to his computer, not realizing what was IN the coffee.

Leo went to his room, and lit the candles he used for meditation. He then lit a couple of sticks of incense, and settled onto the Tami mats to clear his mind. Goodness knows he needed this, after... He sighed. 'I'm the leader of the team.' He thought to himself. 'That doesn't mean I'm in charge of their lives...' Leonardo frowned. 'But would it kill them to listen?'

Raph went straight for his punching bag. He wasn't angry... not really, which was a change. He was just... tired, and a little... not confused... if anything he was seeing things clearly for the first time in weeks. Raphael let the excess energy drain from him with each solid smack of first against canvas.

Mikey hadn't done anything wrong. That was the truth of it. He'd tried to learn, tried to be a ninja like his brothers and it hadn't worked. It was like he'd been called a failure over and over again until he'd reached the point where he just let himself fail, because what was the point in even trying when you already knew the outcome?

Could he blame him for listening to someone who told him he wasn't a screw-up? Someone who believed he was worth the time and effort to train with?

Raph paused in his pummeling as he felt his shell-cell buzz.

It read 'Unknown Number'.

Phoenix winced as she re-entered the gallery floor, the sounds and smells seemed intensified after being alone. She carried the book to the gallery owner, who attempted to throw it in the waste basket! She grabbed it back, and put it with her wrap in the coat room. She moved along the perimeter of the gallery, and found RJ. And yes, he knew a way to get up to the roof... She smiled.

April left the restroom a minute later, her mind going a mile-a-minute. 'That scar could just be a coincidence...' she thought, and turned to that dark and evil-feeling painting again. Her eyes widened, and she felt her stomach clench. She turned to the next one, and the next, reading each title. And she understood.

April looked around the gallery, trying NOT to panic when it seemed that the girl in red had vanished. She saw Casey, and pulled him aside.

"Listen Jones, we have a problem." She spoke quickly and quietly. "You know that girl you where talking to about that painting?"

"I didn't know you where paying attention, April! Don't tell me you where jealous?" He gave her a look of feigned shock.

"Don't flatter yourself, _Arnold_!" She snapped at him. "Don't any of these pictures seem a bit... odd? In a weirdly-familiar sort of way?"

He slowly nodded at the seriousness on her face. "Now that you mention it, one of them did kinda remind me of Raph. So what's the problem?"

"The problem is... I think the girl that painted these could be the one the guys are out looking for right now. I need to get a photo of her with my phone. Donnie saw her without a mask. He could identify her, but she seems to have disappeared. We need to find her, and see if it **is** her." She explained rapidly.

"Time out." Casey made the sports' hand sign. "So the paintings have a little resemblance to the guys. It's not exactly an iron-clad case."

"Casey." April said his name and looked him in the eye. "That girl has a scar on the back of her hand, right where I saw that 'Phoenix' girls; the one she got when she was fighting Leo. We have to be sure."

Casey slowly nodded. "Ok, we split up and check to whole building."

Raph felt his lungs freeze as he ansewred his T-phone. "Yeah?" His voice was irritated.

"Nice Raph!" The voice on the other end of the line joked, "Direct and to the point: 'Yeah.' I like it!"

"Mikey! You shell-for-brains, where are you?!" Raphael shot the words off without stopping for breath, "We've been goin' outta our minds! Are..." He paused and slowly pulled his temper back, "Are you ok?"

Mikey nodded, then realized that it didn't help his brother any. "I'm fine Raph. Better than fine."

"I'll get Leo, I'm sure you wanna talk to him." Raph didn't know why he said that, it just seemed likely.

"If I'd wanted to talk to Leo I would've called him." Mikey's words stopped him in his tracks. "I was just looking at all these clouds and thinking about the times I use to have nightmares whenever there was a storm... you remember that, Raphie?"

_Raphie._ That had been Mikey's name for him for years until he'd decided that it was too 'little-kid' sounding. Now suddenly, Raph realized he'd missed hearing it. "I remember..." He answered, "You'd come running in dragging that ugly excuse for a teddy-bear with you, and sleep in my room..." He found himself smiling, and then his previous bad-mood returned, but he didn't yell. "What where you thinkin' Mike?" His voice was quit and tired. "We've been trying to find you for weeks, and tonight we found a pigeon. Wearing a tracking device."

"Well, I hear it's what all the fashionable pigeons are wearing this season!" Michelangelo tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but cold silence was the reply. "I was so damn mad when Don planted that on her; It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"C'mon Mikey. It's not like you to get mad... that's more me." Raph spoke in surprise. "I don't remember see'n you get mad too much."

"Maybe it's because no one was really looking bro." Mikey closed his eyes with a sad smile. "Maybe you guys are so used to me being the goofy baby brother that you don't notice that I get angry or sad sometimes. I like being the happy one, but that doesn't mean I can always be happy. The night I went for that run I figured I'd come back to the lair in a couple hours, and that would be that... but..."

"But?" Raphael prompted.

"But I guess fate had other plans. I never thought I'd bee gone for three-and-a-half weeks! Shell, I didn't think I'd be gone for three-and-a-half hours! But then there was the Foot and Shredder, and I was hurt and unconscious for almost five days. I'm ok now." Mike cut off his big brother before he could yell about 'letting himself get injured'. "And then I started learning, believing that I don't have to be anyone but me. Stuff that I never thought about before...Besides...did you know that Master Splinter was planning on sending me away to train anyhow?" He asked abruptly.

"Wha?" He jerked his head up in surprise. "Wadda you mean, 'send you away'?! Where? WHY?"

"I wasn't suppose to know... I overheard Sensei telling Leo about it... and Leo didn't tell me. I thought that maybe everyone did but was keeping it a secret... you didn't know?" Mikey asked in a hesitant voice.

"NO. Mike I swear to you that I had no idea about any 'a this!" Raph spoke seriously. "An I'da fought Sensei and Leo tooth an' nail to keep you here."

It was Mikey's turn to be surprised. "You would've Raph? Really?" He felt confused. "Why would you? Leo didn't..."

"I can give you three reasons kid. One: There's no way I'd let anyone, _including_ Master Splinter, send you anywhere w'out me. Two: You haven't been here for the past few weeks... God Mike, it's like yes, the sun's rising every day, but it's a dark sun. You've been our light for a long time an'... an' we didn't even notice it till you where gone. And three: When's the last time Fearless an' I agreed on ANYTHING?"

"Umm... back in '08 when you both agreed that the new president had really funny-looking ears?" Mikey suggested honestly, and was rewarded with the rich baritone of Raphael's laugh.

"I forgot about that one..." Raph finally managed to get out after a miniut. "But really Mikey..." His voice went serious again, "When you coming home?"

"I don't know Bro... I haven't decided. I've learned so much, but it's like just one slice of the pizza. There's still so much I haven't even thought about yet... and besides..." His voice broke for a moment "I wasn't sure you guys wanted me back."

Raph sat down hard. It took a minute for him to find his voice. "Why. the. shell. would. you. think. that?" the words where clipped out sharply.

"Because I screw up, and can't focus, and I'm always messing around... even when we have to fight. I dunno... I guess I thought it'd be easier for you guys to work as a team if you didn't have me." Mikey closed his eyes as he continued. "I know that you guys _Love _me, and that's why you're still trying to find me, but it's also because you all don't think I know what I'm doing. Even when I disappear, I cause problems... one's I didn't meant too. I made you guys mad at me... maybe more than mad. That's why I called you. I needed to know."

"Needed to know what?" Raphael asked softly.

"If I messed up big time. If you where more than just angry. I need to know... Do you hate me, Raphie?" Mikey forced the words out, and waited for the reply.

**I had to go there with this story! Raph and Mikey are my favorite friendship in TMNT, in any universe. No matter if it's 2003, 2007, 2012, or back in 1987. I love my boys! *(- -)* (*- -*) **


	38. Chapter 38

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"You really got to ask that, Mikester?" To Raph's shock, he felt his eyes sting as moisture tried to form. "I could NEVER hate you, bro. I might wanna chase you down and noggie you to death, but hate? Not possible." He heard sniffling on the other end of the line. "Mike? You ok?"

"Yeah. I am now. thanks bro." Mikey wiped his eyes, and found himself grinning. "Oh, and I'd stay out of Leo's room for the next couple of hours if I where you." He paused, "And don't drink any of Donnie's coffee ok?"

"Mike... what in the Shell are you talking about?" Raph felt a tingling of dread dance through him. "Wait... did you come all the way down here to pull a prank?! When... HOW?"

"C'mon bro!" Mikey teased, "You know a professional never reveals his secrets!" He Relaxed against the stone wall at his back. "When they get over the shock, give my love to everyone, and then look in the fridge. I miss you guys. And Yeah, I know what I'm doing, ok? I'll talk to you soon." He smiled to himself, and hit 'end call'.

Phoenix worked her way up the narrow metal staircase that lead to the door to the roof. She took the steps slowly, trying to plot out what she should do. Telling him _seemed_ like a good idea, but at the same time, she knew that it would just make their friendship awkward. The thought that she could just enter his thoughts and find out what he felt for her reared up, and was quickly slapped down. She wouldn't violate his mind and his trust that way.

'So keep quiet for now. Seek the auspicious moment and tell him then.' A voice in her mind whispered. 'And even if he doesn't feel the same, you know you're capable of this, of deep emotions.' Phoenix nodded to herself, as she reached the door. She took a deep breath, and opened it.

Obsidian climbed out of bed, and stretched. He brother was still snuggled in, drooling a little onto his pillow. She put on her mask and belt, and went to the bathroom. After a few minutes of personal business, she wet down a cloth, and began washing her face. A loud pounding on the door made her jump. "Uh, hello?" She called out.

"Sid!?" Was that Donnie's voice? "I really need you to get out of the bathroom... NOW."

She quickly dried her face and hands, and opened the door. Donatello practically _shoved_ past her and slammed the door. After that, all she heard was a groan. She ran down the hall, and knocked on Leo's door. A smell filled her nose, and she gagged.

"Oh... what the?" She backed away and the door flew open.

Leonardo looked supremely ticked off, and ready for a fight. "Where's Lazuli?!" He demanded.

"What's wrong?" She asked in surprise. It was rare to see Leo this angry.

"Well, _someone_ replaced my normal incense sticks with ones that smell like poo! My room's going to smell that way for two days!" He fumed, "I'm going to take a shower, then have a firm talk with Zu!" He stomped off to the bathroom, but re-emerged just as quickly as he'd gone in. "What happened? It smell's as bad as my room in there!"

"I dunno." The eight-year-old shrugged. "Don threw me out a little while ago. Mikey got you guys good!" She grinned. "I knew he was up to something!"

"_**MIKEY?!**_" His face went comically blank. "Sid, he's been gone for a couple of weeks... HOW could he've been the prankster?"

"He was home last night." She stated clearly. "And I don't know who, but somebody's been snooping in stuff that's none of their bee's wax!"

Leonardo steered her back to the room she shared with her brother. "Siddy, maybe you had a dream that Mikey was here, but he uwasn't/u, ok?" He looked in the room, and saw Lazuli still asleep. "ZU! Wake up! We need to talk!"

Lazuli opened one eye and glared at his older brother. "I have 15 minutes before my alarm go's off... and I can usually stall for another 30. So what's so bad that..." He made a face, "Whoa... what smells like something died?"

Leo flushed and glared at his younger sibling. "Like you don't know!"

"OH! Wait! I DO know!" Zu grinned from ear to ear. "Mikey set up a mondo prank, and it just got pulled, right?" He jumped out of bed, and laughed. "He said it'd be EPIC."

"When did he say that?" Leo asked, a sudden feeling of nausea filled him that had nothing to do with the smells floating through the air.

"Last night, of corse! When he was here!"


	39. Chapter 39

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"I concur." A voice came from the doorway. "Stink-bomb incense and ground-up chocolate laxatives in my mocha-java coffee? Pure Mikey." Don shook his head. "Zu's good, Leo. But this is beyond his repertor` right now."

"Whoa... wait. So you think that Mikey came down here, pulled a couple of pranks, and then left?" Leo looked at Donnie with disbelief. "If he came down here, what makes you think he didn't bring his 'new friend' with him?" He air quoted.

"He was alone." Obsidian felt a sudden surge of anger towards the blue-wearing leader. "Mikey's not stupid! He'd never show someone where we are!" She stated firmly. "Besides, he said he was going to meet her somewhere."

"Where?" Don interrupted. "Did he say where he was going to meet her?"

"Something about pictures." Lazuli spoke up. "He said she was going to look at a bunch of pictures."

"Pictures, huh?" Leo looked at the family genius in puzzlement. "What do you think..."

The sound of swiftly moving foot-steps interrupted him. Raphael stood in the hall, phone in one hand, and slightly out of breath. He got one wiff of Leo, and to everyone's amazement, he smiled.

"Damn! He wasn't kidding!" Raph smirked at Leonardo's discomfort. "He always has been able to build a world-class stink bomb!" He gave a short laugh. "And Donnie..." he looked over, "How's your coffee?"

"Full of Ex-Lax, if you must know... Wait, how DID you know?" Donatello asked, his face going red in embarrassment.

"Just got off the phone w'Mike." His brother's went sighlent. "He warned me to stay outta your room," he nodded at Leo, "And to avoid the coffee. But he sends his love, and told me he knows what he's do'in."

"And your ok with that, Raph?" Don asked softly. "Earlier tonight you where ready to pound Mikey's friend, and now your suddenly copasetic with the situation?"

"What the shell dose 'copasetic' mean? If that's the same as 'not freaking out as much' then, yeah." Raph shook his head. "Guys, dojo. Now." He walked out, and his two oldest brothers followed.

April searched the gallery floor from one end to the other, without success. There where black-haired girls, and there where girls in red, but the one she was seeking was nowhere to be found. The only place she hadn't checked yet was behind those doors that carried a discreet '_employees only_' only signs. She screwed up her courage, and slipped into the back room of the gallery. It was quiet compared to the main rooms, and a little dark. The air was heavy with the scent of oil paints and humidity-neutralizing foam packaging. She heard foot-falls, and instinctively ducked into a storage closet. April pulled the door nearly closed, leaving only an inch to peer through. A man was speaking on a cell-phone, in that tone that said 'I'm whispering, but I would really like to be yelling right now!'

"No... she's firm on that! The collection is not up for sale... Yes, yes I'll tell her about your offer... No, this is NOT a tactic to drive up the value! I was told it wasn't for sale before I was even permitted to see the set with my own eyes." The man was tall, in his late 20's, attractive enough if you went for the accountant/lawyer look. He sighed loudly. "I said I'll tell -Nashi about your offer, but I doubt she'll take it. No, I won't make any guarantees. Yes, I'll wait for your call." He hung up, and walked back towards the doors leading to the main room.

He threw one of them open, and let it swing behind him. It struck the closet door, and it shut with a deadening 'click.'

"Oh... Crap." April spoke aloud, and pulled out her T-phone. No Service. "Double Crap!" She cursed, and held up her phone, using the dim light to look around the little room she'd managed to trap herself in.

The roof was quiet, the only noise was the sounds of the city around them. It was almost eerie after the noise of the party. Phoenix looked around, and jumped at the sound of a cell-phone. She felt Mike's presence, and relaxed.

"Hey, how's your family?" She turned and asked the terrapin seated on the roof.

"I don't know about the rest of them, but m' brother Raph is ok. The rest... not so ok." He gave her a reassuring smile as he stood and walked over to her. "Nothing serious. Just a little...um... bathroom trouble." He squashed the seed of guilt, and stood.

She looked around the roof, and out towards the city. "Do you feel that Mike? Feel all of those minds and emotions fighting for attention?" Phoenix closed her eyes for a moment and let her mental shields fall. God it was **NOISY.** "How are you dealing with this?!" She demanded. Her mind started fighting her and tried to focus on everything at once.

"I... I don't know." Mikey looked puzzled. "I just shove it into a place in my head and try and keep it there."

Phoenix sat on the roof, and motioned for Mikey to do the same. "We need to start on shielding now." She stated firmly. There was one good thing about this level of concentration being needed... it was much easier to ignore the need to just grab him and tell him the truth.

He sat across for her, and took a meditation pose mimicking hers. 

**DO NOT try ex-lax in someone's coffee for real! You are warned! [;] )***

**Seriously.**

**And I know I could have locked April in the closet _with_ Casey, but I refuse to take a side in the great 'Apriltello VS Capril' debate! To each his own! **

**Someone asked me what universe this is in. Well, it was in the 2003 universe when I was started writing it, but I switched it up to the 2012 one so I could post it on the NICK message boards. So a little bit of both I suppose. I have a deep-seated love of the 2003 series, if just because it touched the darker side of TMNT. (I still don't get the Utrom Shredder... what was up with that? I'm pretty sure he was human in all of my old-school comic-books...) **


	40. Chapter 40

**Sorry everyone! Inventory work today...Grr I hate getting up 3am, don't you? But, here's the next chappie!**

**Sorry it's so short [:']( , but I will have a nice long one up in the next day or two, ok?**

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'I've gotten sloppy,' She thought, 'It used to be these many voices was no big deal... I've been closed off for so long.' Her mind touched Michelangelo's and slowly let the distractions fall away. His mind was a revelation, not nearly as disorganized or messy as one would expect. It was like the ocean, she realized. Some people saw only random chance and chaos, but there where patterns, things that where as much a part of him as the orange mask and undeniable optimism. 

And control... shell, if his family could only see what it took him to just _function_, they'd be singing a different tune.

Mikey concentrated on his breathing, and focused on the information she was helping him absorb. It was like building a wall in his head, one brick at a time. Choosing where to put it, how thick to make it was completely up to him. This was something, he realized. Something his brothers didn't and _couldn't _understand.

Not that he'd tried. He hadn't gone to his father, or his brothers about that weird tickle in his mind, the one that filled his head with buzzing and feelings, especially when they where top-side. He hadn't known how.

No, he acknowledged, that was a lie. He didn't want to lose his time on patrol with his bros, didn't want another thing wrong with him. Even before overhearing the conversation between Splinter and Leo, he'd known what trait's he was associated with.

Reckless.

Foolish.

Distracted.

Stupid.

Knucklehead.

But now...

This was something he had to learn to do without his family. It was terrifying, and yet freeing at the same time. He'd told her about his obsession with video-games, his need to lose himself in media of any kind; movies, books, games, comics... it didn't matter, as long as it distracted him from that funny buzz in his head. A "buzz" that was really just his mind coping with, well, with _this_!

As wall grew in his mind, the buzzing lessened. He started to smile. 'Damn...' his thoughts whispered, 'I'm empathic!'

April found a light-switch in the closet, and flipped it on. For a moment, she considered yelling for help, but how would she explain being in there in the first place? No one was going to buy the old 'I was looking for the bathroom' line. She pouted, and then smacked her fore-head with the palm of her hand.

"You're a Kunochi, genius child! Locked in a closet! Do something about it!" She spoke out loud. She pressed her ear against the door, and listened for movement. At the sound of silence, she pulled back ad braced herself.

In one swift motion she kicked the door. The wood around the knob splintered, and the door flew open.

April glanced around and slowly made her way deeper into the back of the gallery.


	41. Chapter 41

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Once inside the dojo, and out of the children's ear-shot, Leo turned to Raph and really let him have it.

"So one phone call from Mikey and now you think everything's fine?!" He demanded furiously. "Raph, this was the first time he really reached out to any of us! Did you even ask him where he was?"

"No..." Raph mentally cursed himself. "I didn't think of it."

"Didn't think of?!" Leonardo closed his eyes and counted to ten. "We've been looking for him for HOW many weeks, and you just didn't think to ask him where he was." He opened them with a glare.

"If he'd wanted us t'know where he was, he would've TOLD US already!" Raphael glared back. "He's fine! What's your problem, Leo?"

"My problem is that you seem to think... no, scratch that. The problem is you DON'T think!"

The minute the words left his mouth, Leonardo with a memory...

Two months ago he'd yelled the same words at Mikey...

_ It had been a rough fight with the Foot, and Mikey had almost been taken out twice when he wasn't looking._

_"What the SHELL was going on tonight?!" He'd yelled at his youngest brother, before calming down enough to drop into 'lecture mode'. "You put us all in danger when you can't pay attention," He'd kept his voice firm, "Sensei says to react without thought, that doesn't mean that you DON'T THINK." Then he'd given Michelangelo a look of disappointment that he'd learned from their Father. It was more effective than words. _

_Michelangelo had tried to smile and laugh it off, but that look bothered him, whether he'd admit it or not. A week later, Master Splinter had spoken to him about sending Mikey to train elsewhere..._

Raph rolled his eyes, and stomped away to find his punching-bag... or... he had a better idea.

Michelangelo wandered through his own mind as he pushed the out-side emotions away. It took more focus to keep the 'bricks' together than he'd thought it would, but Phoenix assured him that it would become easier with practice and time.

She was astounded at how quickly Mike had caught on to what she was showing him. He grasped the idea of being empathic much more willingly than she had. She'd been in denial until she'd mind-walked by accident during deep meditation and almost killed herself. Once her soul had been called back inside her body, she couldn't learn fast enough. It was useful, specially if your body was confined to a cell or room... to be able to walk in one's astral form was an amazing gift, but she hated doing it.

Being trapped outside your own mind was a terrifying experience, one that she never wanted to repeat, and never wanted Michelangelo to go through. She hadn't told him, but that was why she'd insisted on meditating with him. He had already displayed an aptitude for it, (once he managed to calm his over-active mind) and he was reaching the point where he could slip out of himself and travel without realizing it. Frustration bloomed again.

'His Sensei should have noticed!' She thought in a mixture of sadness and anger. 'Or maybe he never checked because he didn't think Mike was capable of it. After all,' Her mind added pettily, 'There's no point in trying to teach someone if you don't think they can learn!' She quickly slapped that thought down, and renewed her focus on helping Mikey learn to shield.

April was quickly getting annoyed with the narrow aisles and dark corners that where yielding exactly ZERO results. Finally, she went back out into the gallery, slipping through the doors a quietly as... well, a ninja. She scanned the room, but still didn't see her quarry.

"No luck here Babe." A voice spoke next to her. She whirled around, and nearly punched Casey in the face.

"DON'T call me 'babe'! What am I, a little piggy?" She growled out softly. "No luck back their either. Maybe she left before we started looking. Drat!"

"Wait... wait one sec!" Casey broke into a smile. "I am just about to be brilliant!"

"I'm not holding my breath." April muttered as her 'fake date' walked away to strike up a conversation with one of the employees. To her astonishment, the young woman directed him to a young man working the multi-media booth.

After a few minutes of conversation, the employee with golden-brown hair handed Casey a paper from the printer behind the counter with a smile that made him look to young to be working. As Casey walked back to April, RJ shook his head.

Casey held up a print of the mystery lady taken off the publicity shots the gallery had taken. "Yatze!" He smiled.

"HOW did you manage that?" April looked surprised and impressed despite herself.

"No problamo! I just mentioned that my girlfriend was a big fan, and that you wanted a photo for Kasu-Nashi to autograph." He gave he a grin, that was quickly wiped away as she glared at him.

"You told them I was your girlfriend?" She demanded, her cheeks going pink.

"Way to focus on the wrong thing!" He rolled his eyes. "We got the pic, that's what's important."

"Yeah, yeah, I get that." She waved her hand around, "We should go back down to the lair and see what Donnie says." She went to the coat-check and retrieved her shawl.

The two of them stepped outside, and Casey hailed a cab in true New York City fashion.

Raph was in the 'garage' that Don had set up in one of the concrete floored subway access areas. It had taken the better part of a year to get it set up and lit correctly, but other than working out and bust'in heads, there was nothing Raphael liked better that working on his bike. Mikey teased him about it, but his bike really _was _his baby. All red and black, it was far too many horsepower's' worth of horizontally opposed-air cooled perfection, and it had been the first time Mikey had surprised him with a unknown talent.

Raph had painted it red, his signature color, and he'd been happy with that. Then...

it was his 'birthday'. They shared mutation day, so Master Splinter had given them the right to choose a day of their own. on his 18th birthday, he'd been awoken by the smell of pancakes and bacon... Mikey had cooked... well, he was the only one of them that had any real skill in the kitchen. Leo burned water, and he could work a microwave. Sensei only knew Japanese recipes, and Don cooked everything like a science experiment, never altering one milligram of sodium.

The food had been good, but then he'd noticed a smudge of red and black paint on Mike's shell. Wet paint. He'd automatically assumed the worst, and started yelling before storming off to see what damage his baby bro'd done this time. He'd stomped into the garage, and found his bike... re-painted and detailed, with silver and black flames rippling up the sides. God, it'd been gorgeous! He'd turned around and seen a nervous Mikey waiting for some kinda reaction.

Raph had looked around, and not seeing anyone else, given Mikey a hug.

"Thanks Bro," He'd said, "Best. Gift. Ever."

Now Raph filled his sleepless days working on a project for Mikey. He smiled to himself.

'Mike would have'ta choose Haloween for his birthday!'


	42. Chapter 42

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The night had gone cool, the threat of rain becoming more real with each passing hour. Phoenix opened her eyes, and pulled out of the trance she'd been in. The first layer was in place, like a wall made of fluffy cotton coated in metal. Not the best of insulaters, but still better than what he'd had before. The sounds and feelings where still there, but muted to the point where he could at least think without the buzzing making him twitch. Her own mind had the same amount of shielding as him for the time being, and it was _still _noisy... but it was a lot better than before. She looked at the time, and her eyes widened. It had been over two hours.

"Oh... brother." She muttered, and turned on her cell phone. She had 10 missed calls and a dozen texts, all from Charles. She thought for a minute, and typed out a quick message.

'_Sorry about leaving early. Head was hurting. Got a lift back from a friend.' _She sent it, and turned her phone back off.

Michelangelo opened his eyes, and shot her a cheeky grin. "That felt awesome." He unfolded his legs, and stood, breathing deeply, and smiling broadly. "I... Oh man, I can hear myself think!" He proclaimed in delight. "I mean, it's still there, but... wow."

"And that's just lesson one." She moved to stand and Mikey grabbed her arm and helped her up. He held on for one second too long, and then jerked his hand away. "there's a lot more to it, but I don't want to rush. Let's see how this shield works for now, and tomorrow we can move on to the next step, if everything go's well." She pretended not to notice what had happened a moment ago.

"So... did your dance lesson come in handy?" Mike joked... or rather, half-joked.

"Not tonight. There just wasn't anyone I wanted to dance with in there." She looked down through the skylight. "I guess I'm pickier than I thought." 

"I doesn't make you picky," Mikey corrected, "It just mean you where waiting..." He pulled the little radio he'd had with him earlier and turned it on.

"Waiting?" She smiled as she heard the music, knowing full well what the answer would be. "For what?" The opening chords of '_Moon Dance_' filled the quiet roof. 

Michelangelo held out his hand, and she placed her own in it. "The right partner."

The ride to April's home was shorter than Casey remembered, but then, almost anything was faster than a pair of inline skates.

"Alright Casey," April climbed out of the cab with a wave. "I'll see you later."

"Wait, shouldn't we, y'know, go see the guys together?" He stalled.

"And let them know that YOU where my so-called 'date' named Arnold?" She retorted. "I'll be heading down to see the guys in an hour at the most. You mention this as a 'date', and I will personally destroy your hockey-stick collection, capise?"

"Ok,ok! Don't get grabby O'Neill!" Casey pulled the cab door shut after her saw her get into her house, and gave the driver his home address.

"Gotta love a girl with attitude!" The driver commented. "Yours?"

"No..." He replied. '_Not Yet._..'

Donatello dumped out the 'magic coffee', and opened a fresh bag. He sighed, and listened to his stomach gurgle and churn.

"Maybe water is a better bet for now..." He spoke out loud although there was no one there.

The DNA scanner showed a 98% completion rate, but still had time left to go.

Don looked at the sample, and waited. "I'll know your secrets before the night is over..." He looked at it intently. "And then we'll see how _human _you really are."

**Sick today... boo. Spent most of the day asleep, and then : Watched the newest episode of Glee and cried. (Yes, I watch Glee, guilty pleasure!) But wanted to post another chapter...**

**Shout out to my girl TheDarkestTimelLine!**

**Many many thanks to you for all your encouragement and help! **

**You are the best! [;] D **


	43. Chapter 43

**Good morning all! I apologize for the delay in posting, but I've been dealing with some personal stuff that got me all depressed and angry at the universe, and lacking any and ALL inspiration to write. But I'm feeling better today, so I figured I should harness some of that energy and post! **

**Just so you all know, I've never told my characters what to do. They do what they want, and I just type. It seems strange, but that's how this works. **

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There was a pounding on the lab door as the DNA analyzer finished it's job. 

"Not now, guys!" Donnie shouted without even looking at the door. His eyes where glued to the screen, trying to accept what he was seeing. "Oh. My. God."

"Don! Aprils' here. I thought you might want to interrogate, I mean ask her how her 'date' went." Leonardo asked innocently, but then saw the expression on his genius brother's face. "What happened?" 

"It's this." Don replied softly. He waved Leo over, and showed him the monitor.

"O...Kay..." Leo waited a beat. "What am I looking at?"

Donatello sighed, and shook his head. He tapped a few keys and brought up an image. "Alright. This, " He pointed to the screen, "Is normal human DNA, ok? Casey, April, anybody."

Leo nodded and waited as Donnie pulled up another image. Like the first, it seemed to be a basic double-helix, but from the way Don was acting, he was sure that it was more than that. "What's so important?"

"The normal human DNA sequence has 23 chromosomes. They tell the body how it's going to grow, gender, hair color everything. _HER _DNA has... has a 24th." At Leo's blank look, frustration took over. "A extra piece of genetic coding that contains who-knows-what! This could explain the strange... um..._abilities_ we saw on that security video."

"So you're saying it's like the movie "DOOM"?" The blue-banded leader tried not to laugh. "The infamous 24 part of the DNA that either makes you a super person or a monster? _Really_, Don?"

Donatello's face didn't share Leo's mirth. "Believe it or not Leo, it's ALOT like that. The only question is..." He turned back to the computers, "Which one is she?"

Dancing with him was different this time. The fear of trampling his feet had been forgotten in lue of knowing what the feelings that had confused her just hours ago where. Yes, she needed to tell him.

It wasn't that she wanted too, it was a real, physical _need_. Like as if she didn't, her heart would literally burst from her chest. But for now, she was silent, and just enjoyed having his arms wrapped around her.

Was he the serious, level-headed ninjitsu master she'd assumed would be her type? She'd never really believed that she was capable of these feelings, but when she'd allowed herself to dream... It had been of a strong, almost too-solemn warrior, much like herself. Someone to keep her aware of how dangerous she was.

She said a silent prayer of thanks. She'd have been bored out of her mind in less than a week.

Instead, she'd been blessed with a open-hearted free sprit. Someone who was sweet, wild, and had taught her how to laugh, and perhaps more importantly, how to cry.

The last strains of 'Moon Dance' lingered before the next song began. She didn't recognize the song, but it felt sad if beautiful.

_Another night slowly closes in, And I feel so lonely. _  
_Touching heat freezing on my skin, I pretend you still hold me. _  
_I'm going crazy, I'm losing sleep. I'm in too far, I'm in way too deep over you. _  
_I can't believe you're gone. You were the first, you'll be the last._

_Wherever you go, I'll be with you. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. _  
_Whenever you need someone, To lay your heart and head upon. _  
_Remember: after the fire, after all the rain, I will be the flame. _  
_I will be the flame. _

_Watching shadows move across the wall, I feel so frightened. _  
_I wanna run to you, I wanna call, But I've been hit by lightening. _  
_Just can't stand up for fallin' apart. _  
_Can't see through this veil across my heart, over you. _  
_You'll always be the one. You were the first, you'll be the last._

_Wherever you go, I'll be with you. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. _  
_Whenever you need someone, To lay your heart and head upon. _  
_Remember: after the fire, after all the rain, I will be the flame. _  
_I will be the flame. _

_I'm going crazy, I'm losing sleep. I'm in too far, I'm in way too deep over you. _  
_You'll always be the one. You were the first, you'll be the last. _  
_To lay your heart and head upon._

_Remember: after the fire, after all the rain, I will be the flame. _  
_I will be the flame.  
_

The sky had started to drizzle as the last chords of 'The Flame ' had sounded, and Phoenix found herself pressed against Mikey. The emotions swiftly rising within her threatened to overwhelm her common sense. She couldn't let that happen... couldn't be that reckless... but... 

Wasn't he the one who taught her recklessness?

"Mike... there's something I need to tell you." Phoenix felt her throat close up, but kept going. He held her protectively against his chest, and silently stroked the tendrils of hair that had come free, now damp with the rain. "I think..." She squeezed her eyes shut, finding the courage to speak. "I think I Love you."

She felt him freeze, and pulled back. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the face. He touched her chin, and brought her eyes up to his.

"What did you say?" He asked in a disbelieving whisper. 

"I think I Love you. I'm unfamiliar with emotion; So I've never felt this before... but I think I understand what this is." At the look on his face, Phoenix felt a sharp pain in her chest. "I shouldn't have said anything, but...but I couldn't keep it in. I needed to say it." 

"How?" He looked dazed. "When?" 

"I don't know when it happened. Maybe it was that first night during the fight..." Phoenix tried to explain, "Maybe it was when you yelled at me and told me that I was worth more than I ever thought..." Mikey still didn't speak, only stared as he tried to believe what she was saying. "Maybe it was years before we even met. All I know is that this is something I've never felt before, but I know what it is." She quietly touched his hand, and put it over her heart, the way she had with him when they had been dancing the first time. "I Love you." She opened himself to him, and let him see.

Tears began to gather in his eyes as he felt the truth in her words. Slowly, he grasped her wrist, and pressed her hand over his heart. 

In an instant, Michelangelo understood why he couldn't speak. It was too much to put into mere words, far too much. His emotions rioted inside him; Joy, fear... doubt? 

She opened her eyes, and stared at him. "You don't believe me?" She asked softly.

"I do believe you... but part of me can't understand WHY, of all people on this earth, you decided to Love ME." Mike touched her face with a expression of awe. "I know who and what I am. And I know that you are the most amazing girl that's ever lived and... somehow, we're here, and you Love _ME_."

"It had to be you..." She replied cryptically, "Because it could be no one else."

Michelangelo felt her heartbeat match his own, and in that instant saw... everything. Her past, her dreams, her fears where all stripped bare before his mind. She feared losing him, he realized... and feared she never would hear the words she'd spoken given back.

"Phoenix," he cupped her face in his hand, gently tracing over her cheek-bone with his thumb, "I Love you." 

He lowered his head, and kissed her.

He pulled back, droplets of water running down his face, waiting for her recation.

It was like standing in the sunlight for the first time, after a lifetime of darkness. This was what the poets wrote of, this was why Romeo and Juliet where together in eternity... She reached up, and pulled his head back down to meet her own. Flames licked the inside of her veins, as if her very blood was afire. Her hands traced over the smoothness of his scalp, only to fist at the knot in his mask. His arms banded around her as the rain reached a crescendo, his fingers finding purchase in her raven hair. Neither of them noticed the downpour, or the sudden rumble of thunder. 

In that moment, two hearts became one. This was real. This was Love. 


	44. Chapter 44

**Hello my wonderful readers! I'm ****_SOOOO _****sorry about the delay! (My at home wifi has been on the fritz!) So, I'm left at the mercy of finding time at the coffee shop to post my chapters! **

**On another note: THIS STORY HAS HIT 10,000 VIEWS!**

**THANK YOU! **

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April sloshed through the sewers in her knee-high boots. She usually didn't wear them, but the water levels where rising with the heavy rain, and she didn't relish the idea of sewage covered feet. The print-out of the photo along with a pamphlet from the gallery featuring pictures of some of the paintings in the collection. If this _was_ her, they'd have a name. If there was a name, there was an address, and all of that would lead to Mikey. She walked into the lair, and kicked off her boots. She'd exchanged the dress and heels for jeans and a yellow T-shirt, and had pulled her hair back from her face in a loose pony tail.

"April!" To her surprise, it was Leo, not Don who greeted her. "How was your 'date' with Arnold?"

"Unimportant. I need to talk to Donnie." She replied swiftly, not seeing the surprise that flickered across the eldest's face.

"Sure... he's in his lab." Leonardo had barely gotten the words out before she went to into the lab, and shut the door after her. "Weird..."

April found Don hunched over computer print-outs, mumbling to himself. It was actually kind of cute, the way he threw himself into research, She thought to herself, and then did a mental head-slap. What was she doing, thinking about him that way? He was like her brother... wasn't he?

She shut the door hard, making enough noise to get his attention.

"April! You've got to see this!" He exclaimed, and waved her over.

"Don, I think I have something you should look at..." She began, but trailed off when she saw what he'd been so intently reading. "Oh. My. God." She breathed in disbelief, and looked at him with wide eyes. "Is this for real?"

Raph tightened up the suspension system on the bike he was building. He pulled back from his work in progress with a smile. As far as his brothers where concerned, he was putting together a spare bike in case he ever trashed his. A logical assumption. He wasn't exactly known for being the 'warm-and-fuzzy' type... besides, this was _his _project. He didn't need his bro's to put in their two cent's worth of options.

He didn't _want _Donatello to critique the engine design, or for Leo to lecture about how Michelangelo wasn't responsible enough to have his own motorcycle. He had to keep it a secret. Was this how Mikey felt when ever he was doing something he thought his brothers might now approve of, or think was worth-while? All the little side-project he'd never let them see, or hid when they came into the room? He'd always assumed Mike'd been planning another set of pranks...

But what if was more than that? Raphael had found a couple of Mike's old sketch books by accident once. He'd only flipped through a few drawings when Mike had ripped them from his hands and fled. He'd never seen the sketch books again, and Mikey refused to mention them. Maybe it was the same thing, maybe not.

He smiled to himself. When they brought Mikey home, he need to talk with him. That was an interesting idea. Talk _with _him, not at him or to him.

He attacked the machine parts with renewed vigor... after all, there was only 3 weeks until Mike's birthday.

The rooftops had gone slippery in the rain. Phoenix pulled off her heels, tossed them into a nearby dumpster, and ran bare-foot across the buildings. Mikey didn't even notice the storm. His mind raced with the sensation of having only his own thoughts in his head, everyone else's pushed back to a dull murmur in the background. And in the fore-ground was the only mind he wanted to touch his.

His reptilian body delighted in the rain, in the way it made his skin slick and shiny. He loved fresh water. Not that chlorinated stuff from the pipes, but this kind, the way nature intended? It smelled... pure. It was odd... he hated storms, but loved the rain. He threw his head back and laughed, giving chase to the red-wearing girl, getting close enough to her to tap her elbow.

"You're it!" He called out as he automatically changed directions.

Phoenix bit back a grin, and ran after her Michelangelo.

She liked the way that sounded in her mind. _HER _Michelangelo.

Splinter hadn't been as worried as his son's over Mikey's disappearance, if only because he'd continued to sense his son's mind quite clearly. There had been no fear or cries for help. Whomever he was with, he trusted them.

He sat down in the dojo, and began to meditate. After only a few moments, his eyes snapped open in shock. Michelangelo was there, but something had changed. His mind wasn't open and jumbled... it was as if someone or something had put up a wall. Splinter could still feel his youngest's mind, but not the way he had before. What had happened?

It wasn't normal for a student his age to begin mental training of that level without a good reason. He had only just started to consider Leonardo ready for that branch of training. Anger suddenly flared in his mind. He had considered that Michelangelo needed time away to train, but it had never occurred to him that someone would be stupid enough... _reckless_ enough to push that on a child without it being necessary. The question was HAD it been necessary? Or was there something else at work?

He stood, and stared at his refection. What to do now?

"It's real," Donatello confirmed, "I ran the tests three times, and even _I_ had a hard time believing it!" He ran his hand over the top of his head in a gesture he used when confused. "And that means she's more than human. I'm not sure what it makes her. "

April unfolded the picture from her back pocket.

"I think it makes her this girl." She extended it to Donnie. "She's called Kashu-Nashi."


	45. Chapter 45

**Wifi problems abound again! **

**I am changing my carrier next week if all go's well, so then you all can have it as fast as I can write it! **

**My thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review.**

**It means a lot to me.**

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"Interesting choice of a name." Leonardo commented, "Translated into English, it means 'No-heritage' in Japanese." 

"Who calls themselves that?" Raph asked with an eye roll.

"Someone who..." Leo's voice trailed off as he got a good look at Mikey's friend.

Powerful. Dangerous. Enthralling. Beautiful.

Suddenly, Leo could understand the appeal of training with her... "Someone who has no family. Has no past." He looked at the other piece of paper that April had brought with her. "What's that?" He asked. 

"Oh! Just a gallery pamphlet. " She replied. "Her paintings where... unusual. You should look at them." She handed the glossy paper to him. "You might be surprised at what you see."

"I think finding an address on Miss Fushicho Kazu-Nashi is our priority." Donatello interjected. "Now that I have a name, I think finding where she lives should be a lot simpler." He turned to April. "Let's do this."

Phoenix beat Mikey home by only seconds, and soon found both of them standing in the lani, looking at one another.

"I think you ruined your dress." Michelangelo stated guilelessly.

She looked down at the res material that clung to her legs and body. The sound of water dripping off her clothing made her smile, then laugh. There was nothing quite like realizing the obvious... 

Mikey joined in and ran to the bathroom for a set of fluffy butter-cream colored towels. 

"Oh drat..." She made a face. "I forgot my book at the gallery... that means I have to go back tomorrow. " She saw his questioning look and continued. "I don't want to deal with Charles after ducking out of the party early. Hmm." Her eyes brightened up. "I'll go when he'll be taking that overly-long lunch. Problem solved."

"That reminds me..." Mike reached into one of the pouches on his belt, "This is for you." He held out his hand and dropped something into her palm.

It was a crystal suspended from a black silk cord. One end was wrapped in silver wire that looped up and around the silk necklace. The gem itself was the most vibrant shade of blue she had ever seem, filled with tiny silver-white inclusions.

"Mike, it's _beautiful_..." She smiled at him in puzzlement, "But why? You went and got this for me before... well, just before!" Phoenix smiled, realizing that her life now had a new marker in it's timeline, one that read, '_told him I Love him, and he Loves me back!_'.

"I made that for you," he replied, "because I wanted to thank you for... just for... being the first person in my life to not look at me and just see a failure." He reached out and touched her face. "I don't know what I did to deserve you." 

She covered his hand with hers. "You just had to be you."

Then she jerked back and sneezed, releasing his hand to cover her mouth.

"Ack... well that was a great way to ruin a mood." She mumbled. 

"Your freezing." Mikey stated. "Go take a hot shower, ok? I'll dry off and make some tea, huh?" She nodded and when to her bathroom.

20 minutes later she re-emerged to find Mikey in the living room with two mugs of steaming citrus tea. "Your the best!" She smiled. 

"Well what are boyfriends for?" He joked, handing her a cup, but stopped when she almost dropped it. "What? I thought that with everything we said..." 

"Mike." One word stopped him. "It just hit me. You're my _boyfriend_." She looked confused and delighted at the same time. "I, Phoenix Kazu-Nashi, former member of the Foot, so-called 'Angel-of-Death', crazy painter and fugitive from japan has a boyfriend. And not just anyone. The underestimated, underappreciated, sweet, strong and wild, youngest son of Hamato Yoshi. How did I get so lucky?"

"I'm the lucky one," he corrected her, "I got you, didn't I? And..." He aimed a look at her. "Sweet, strong and wild?" He asked teasingly, giving her a little smirk. 

"Darn right! Like good coffee." She answered calmly. "Sweet, strong, and hot." She let the last word drop smoothly.

For a split-second Mikey look puzzled at her words, and then arched and eyebrow. "Are you _flirting _with me?" He saw her face flush, and his heart did a hand-stand. "I'm going to have to up my game. " He grinned. "Do you have to be at the gallery tomorrow night?" He asked as an idea formed in his mind.

"Nope. One party attendance per collection." She shook her head. 

"In that case, please don't make any plans." He smiled. "Because I have something in mind," before she could ask, he continued, "And it's a surprise."


	46. Chapter 46

**Hello everyone! I know, I know... a few people are yelling at me for not posting for a week, especially after that completely suck-tacular last chapter...**

**To make a long story short: I was posting this on another site for quite some time. The NICK message boards, actually, since the day I started it. That was almost a year ago. Crazy, right? **

**Then, they up and deleted it! Needless to say I got upset and kind of depressed, and my inspiration went right out the window. **

**So after a couple of long PM talks with my girl The Darkest Timeline, a lot of suger, and a little road trip, I feel like I'm back in the right mind set to continue.**

**My thanks for your patience!**

**Oh! And if any of my peoples from NICK have found their way here, feel free to message me! **

**You don't have to post a story to have a username! **

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The searching for their foe took longer than Donatello thought. There was NO ONE by the name of 'Kasu-Nashi' living in New York, as far has he could find. It seemed like every time they took one step forwards they hit a brick wall. What ever her real name was, it was protected like Fort Knox. 

Don pushed back from his computer, and looked at the web site for the gallery. 'Katzu-Nashi' was the name listed, but there was no picture of her. There _was _a photo of a rather weasely-looking man in his early 30's, with a caption stating that his name was Charles Anderbe; And a notation that claimed that her was her Manager... Donnie chewed on his lower lip, as a thought crossed his mind. A stupid thought6, he decided, but there wasn't anything to lose by checking, was there?

Two hours later Donatello stood bolt-upright, knocking his chair over and yelling "Yatze!" At the top of his lungs. He smirked slightly at the idea. "No one in this city can afford two penthouses... unless one of them isn't yours..." 

Leonardo had taken the gallery pamphlet with him when he'd left the lab, but hadn't really looked at it... when he did, it was... strange, at first at least.

Then, after reading the different titles... he had been stunned. The painting called 'Shido-sha'? It was like having his soul stripped bare, and laying it out for the world to see. The only way she could have created that collection was if she knew them... but she didn't... did she? Unless...

Again, the doubts of trusting his baby brother reared their ugly heads. Had he told her about them? What did she know? Was she on their side... really? He didn't know. 

And at the same time, a new feeling had started to grow inside him when he thought about Mikey. If he didn't know better, he would've thought it was... respect?

Dawn found Phoenix curled up on the sofa next to Michelangelo beneath a fleecy throw. Her eyes flickered open, and she gently moved her stiff shoulders. Suddenly her 'pillow' moved, and she realized where she was. She choked back a laugh, and relaxed into Mike's side, his left arm wrapped around her protectively.

She was delighted. 'Never thought I'd be a cuddler...' Her lips smiled, 'but then I haven't really had the chance to find out before.' 

They had stayed up for hours, letting their tea go cold as they talked. Even touching each others' minds hadn't told them everything. As complex as the mind was, it could take _years_ to learn all there was to know about someone. So they had done it the old-fashioned way. 

Mike had started it, the easy request of "Tell me something that no one else knows about you, something you've never told anyone..."

It had turned into the longest, most brutally honest and beautiful nights of her life. The things the two of them had confessed; Secrets, dreams, guilty pleasures... anything that they had hid from other people, they told one another. Because for the first time in either of their lives, there was no need for embarrassment or fear.

Not to mention the kisses... Nothing as powerful as the one's on the roof, just little sweet ones... but still...

Phoenix shifted slightly, and looked at the unconscious terrapin next to her. His mouth was open a little, as if he was ready to ask another question... but a little drool escaping his lips let her know he was truly asleep.

'Yes...' she smiled as she studied her boyfriends' sleeping face, 'There is a stronger words for this than merely _Trust_...' 

Leo drew up plans for that night. _TWO_ places to investigate, not city blocks, but locations. He felt almost giddy with anticipation. Finding their brother after a month... it was a lot to take in. And if he'd been harmed in any way... well... he frowned to himself. Well, they'd push her off that bridge when they came to it. He finished his battle plan, and move on to sharpening his katanas. 

Donatello checked his assorted bags of goodies over once again. He'd assigned a number to each one, and ran down a check-list for each bag. Leo and Raph both thought that his 'lists' where funny. Mikey on the other hand had whole-heartedly agreed with him! As his baby bro had said: 'It's easy to forget something, but it's real hard to forget that 4 comes in between 3 and 5!' Don smiled quietly at the memory. It was odd how sometimes Mikey could say exactly the right thing. 

Raph tuned out the world, and focused on pummeling the crap out of his punching bag. Tonight, he needed to curb his temper more than ever. The conversation he'd had with Mike had shifted his perspective, and made him realize something: If he wanted his brother back, _really_ back, then he had to play nice with his new friend. Did Raph trust her? NO. Did he trust his brother? A few weeks ago, he wouldn't've know how to respond. Now though? 'Shell yeah.' He thought. And whatever else was going on, Mike cared about the girl... and anyone who could put up with Mikey for a month without wanting to kill him was ok in Raph's book. 

Obsidian and Lazuli had stayed out of the way for the day, mostly staying with April in front of the TV or in the kitchen. No one had told them anything, but Sid had been dealing with a funny feeling the entire day and a half, ever since she and her brother had found Mikey in the kitchen. A strange sort anticipation... as if she knew that something was going to happen... 

"Where did this come from?" April's voice interrupted her thoughts. Sid turned to see a baking pan covered in aluminum foil with a post-it note on it.

"Mikey probably!" Lazuli chirped brightly. He peeled back a corner of the foil. "Lasagna! My favorite!" He proclaimed. 

"Since when?" April asked absent-mindedly reading the note in surprise. 

"Since Mikey made it!" Zu rolled his eyes. "Besides, you know that he's the only one 'sides you that can cook! We've been livin' on pizza and take-out!"

"**YOU **complaining about too much pizza?" April placed a hand on his fore-head. "Are you feeling ok?"

Obsidian let the two of them argue over pizza verses Chinese, and read the note.

'_Bake at 375 degrees for one hour with the foil on, 20 minutes off. Guys, if your reading this, leave it until April comes over. No, I don't trust you to follow those instructions. Because you burn water. No, I won't shut up. Let April cook it, or don't eat!_' 

Sid started to laugh. It was like Mikey knew what his brothers would say, and wrote his responses accordingly. But then again... that was what made Mikey Mikey!

Mikey woke up feeling a slight pressure on his left side, and something smooth creating patterns on the skin of his right arm that was wrapped over his own torso. He opened his eyes regretfully, but the sight that met his vision kept him from speaking. Phoenix sat beside him, curled into his side, her eyes awake but dreamy, while her finger almost carelessly danced over his fore-arm. He watched without moving or speaking, and saw that the patterns weren't random, but rather _kanji_... Japanese poetry. Sweet statements where all he could make out, but saw enough to realize that what he'd thought might have been a dream had been VERY real.

If it wasn't, then he had no idea why Phoenix had written 'The other half of my soul' across his skin.


	47. Chapter 47

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He couldn't move, or think of anything to say to break the spell that the moment seemed to exist in. Instead, he waited until she reached the back of his hand before flipping his own over, tangling their fingers together.

She looked up, and to his delight, she _blushed_.

"Hi." He finally spoke.

"Hi." She smiled. "I need Coffee. You?"

"And food. I'm starving." He felt a smile stretch across his face that she returned. "I'm thinking french toast. That ok?" Mikey stood and rolled his shoulders, lessening the stiffness.

"Well, I've never had it, but I'll try anything once." She reached back and pulled her hair into a braid.

"Never had..." He rolled his eyes. "Then I HAVE to make it! Do you trust me?" He asked half-jokingly. 

"More than you know." Phoenix knew he hadn't expected a serious response to his question, but she couldn't help herself. "So I suppose I have to try it..." She added lightly.

He knew she was trying to keep the conversation from getting to deep after the first comment, but he didn't take the easy way out. 'First time for everything..' he thought. Mike caught her hand in his and brought the other one up to touch her face. 

"Good Morning." He smiled brightly as he leaned in and kissed her. Part of him still didn't quite believe that this was happening, that it was real, but the feel of her hands gripping his upper-arms reminded him that it was.

She pulled back and gave him a little smile in return, "Good morning." Then she glanced at the clock. "Or should I say 'Good afternoon'?" She laughed softly. The display read 1:36... pm.

The day passed slowly in the lair. Leonardo could have sworn that time was going _backwards_ if such a thing was possible. He slouched down on the couch next to Lazuli as Captain Ryan saved the universe again.

"If only it where that easy..." He thought. 'And where's Raph... again?'

A screeching shout from the dojo pulled Leo from his revere, and had him running to a yelling Raphael, covered in... _gummy worms_? He couldn't help himself as he burst into laughter. Raph aimed a death-glare at him.

The speed-bag in the dojo had been cut open, stuffed with the candy, and re-sewn well enough so it wouldn't break until someone dealing with anger issues was using it. 

Leonardo shook his head, and kept laughing. Mikey knew each of them too well... and GOD he'd needed a laugh right then.

Phoenix left to retrieve her book from the gallery after eating and an intense sparring session, promising another lesson in meditation and mental control when she returned. Mikey locked the door behind her, and began operation: Sweep-her-off-her-feet. He looked out the window, hoping that the time she'd be gone was enough to pull it off... he smiled to himself, and got started.

Night came though, no matter how long it seemed to take. As long as summer had seemed to linger in the autumn air, winter seemed to be on it's heels. The October air had gone from almost-warm to a little too cold within 24 hours.

Donatello thanked whatever force that had caused them to mutate for giving them the warm-blooded trait of their human DNA rather than being cold-blooded. 

They only had two addresses to check. TWO. God it felt good! Raph grinned to himself as they ran over the rooftops. The city looked more stunning when it was cold, he decided... but then, a touch of cold appealed to him. 

The first place was in uptown, not far from the place where the ambush happened. The lights where off, and it looked like no one was home. Don made short work of the alarm system, and they crept inside.

The living room was large and garishly decorated. A plasma-screen TV filled up most of one wall, along with shelves of dvds. Odd sculptures sat on end tables next too the living room set made of leather. The overall effect was... ugly. It was like a interior-decorating magazine had thrown up.

It didn't take long to realize that no woman lived there, at least, not on a regular basis. The sheer volume of magazines featuring cars and pretty girls, as well as a fridge full of take out convinced Raphael, but Leo insisted on being through. They went through each room careful not to touch anything more than needed, putting everything back as they found it.

An hour later they met in the ugly living room, still speaking in hushed whispers.

"Nothing to indicate that Mikey is or ever has been here." Donatello reported. "Or that she lives here. this place must belong to that agent of hers." 

"I could'a told you that when we got here." Raph grumbled loudly. After receiving glares from his two brothers, he continued. "Besides, why'r we whispering? Not like there's anyone listening." He rolled his eyes. "Let's just GO."

And for once his brother's didn't argue.

The rest of the day had been filled with mediation, katas, and mental training. Phoenix smiled brightly as she reflected on how Michelangelo's confidence had just... bloomed in today alone. She pulled her hair up into a snug bun, and leaned down to strap her knives on as they got ready for a run. As she straitened up, a pair of green hands came around her upper arms from behind her. "Hey you." She leaned against him casually, letting her head fall forward slightly. A light press of his lips on the nape of her neck startled her pleasantly. 

"I have something I want to show you." Mikey chirped eagerly, "But it's a surprise, so I need you to close your eyes... NO peaking...'K?"

She turned and looking into his blue eyes, alive with excitement. "Ok." She closed them.

The next thing Phoenix knew, she'd been swept up into Mike's arms. He carried her bridal-style at a walk at first. Then cold air hit her face, and he broke into a run. The sounds changed as they moved, from the bustle of the city at night to a almost-silence. The sounds of the city where still there, but muted to a light background noise.

Mike's foot-falls grew quieter, although his pace hadn't decreased, and the air seemed... cleaner. The whisper of wind dancing through falling leaves gave part of their location away, she smiled, central park.

Finally he slowed down and set her on her feet. He waved a hand in front of her face. "Still closed? Ok, on the count of three, I want you to open them. One..." She heard a match strike on something, "Two..." The smell of wax, "Three!" 

She opened her eyes.


	48. Chapter 48

**Good morning, my peoples! I apologize for the delay in posting! Work is amazingly stressful right now, and it's been a little time consuming. **

**Special shout-out to Discovery7, who inspired me to believe that I was NOT crazy for trying my had at writing a little romance. Many thanks Ramen Noodles... what? **

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The other address was right in the middle of the six block search-zone that Donnie had claimed was the most likely area to find Mikey.

"So how do we play this?" He asked Leo as they approached the building. "It's not like we can go in weapons drawn."

"That would just make Mikey react badly," Leonardo agreed, "So we go in quiet. "He looked at Raph, "This requires stealth, not brute force."

"Fine. Just tell me when we need to break something." Raph grumbled in response.

They reached the location, checking as well as they could for any sign of movement inside. It looked as though no one was home and Don went to work on the alarm system. After the lax security on the other apartment, the extremely complex system was a surprise.

After 15 minutes, Donnie spoke up. "Guys? You might want to get comfy. This circuitry isn't even on the market yet."

"Meaning?" Raphael looked at him with incomprehension.

"Meaning that this system is a royal _bitch_!" Don snapped, "And it means it'll take a while, so STOP hovering, and let me work!"

Donatello rarely cursed, so when he did both brothers backed off. Don flexed his fingers, rolled his neck, and got to work.

They where in a clearing in the forested area of Central park. There was a blanket spread out on the grass, and a half-dozen candles lit and placed on rocks. The smell of pizza filled her nose as Mike reached into a large bag he'd carried from the apartment.

"I wasn't sure what kind of food to bring," He glanced up, and stammered at the look on her face. "Oh crud. I messed up, didn't I? I thought this'd be nice, I didn't mean to..."

His self-hating rant was cut off when Phoenix turned sharply and crushed a kiss to his surprised mouth. His free arm came up instinctively, pulling her against his chest, increasing the pressure between their mouths. Suddenly the night didn't seem so cold. After another moment, she pulled back, leaving them both breathing hard. This 'being-a-teenager-in-Love' was almost overwhelming...

"This is beautiful." She looked around the clearing again. "Romantic."

A half-smile made it to Mikey's face. "Yeah?" He knelt down and unpacked the rest of the items from his mystery bag. There _was _pizza, but not the delivery kind. "I made pizza while you where at the gallery." He motioned to it shyly.

"Home made pizza?" She sat next to him on the blanket, and took the cans of soda from him as he pulled them out. "And Coke... and... oh my." She looked at the white cardboard box with wide eyes. "Cannoli's?"

"I know the owner of a great bakery." Mikey shrugged sweetly, sat down, and opened the Tupper-ware container full of pizza. "So..." He looked at her. "Tell me something about yourself that no one else knows."

Two hours. That's how long it took Donnie to get the security system deactivated.

TWO freaking HOURS.

Raph was going stir-crazy. Yes, the apartment looked dark, but that wasn't a guarantee that Mikey wasn't right _there. _ He prowled the roof, jumping at the slightest noises, waiting for something, anything, to happen. It wasn't until he heard Donnie call out "Yatze!" That he felt like he could breath again.

Leo quickly stood from his meditation pose he'd sat in for the last hour-and-a-half, and followed Don to the roof door. Donnie made short work of the lock, and they entered.

They _hadn't _expected to walk into part of a Japanese rainforest... or at least, that's what the room looked like. Between the trees and the water, it didn't seem like any pool they'd seen before.

"Huh... very high-quality one-way polymer." Don muttered. "You could stick your face up against it outside and not realize it's glass."

"Yeah, thanks' professor boring. " Raph snarked under his breath.

"Shut it, both of you!" Leo stager-whispered. "Stealth, remember?"

They began another systematic search of the apartment. After about 15 minutes, Leo opened the door leading to one of the bedrooms. There was nothing unusual about it, except... He saw the corner of something poking out from underneath the pillow.

A 'Justice Force' comic book. Leo felt a wide grin spread over his face at the sight. This was the place. He carefully placed the pillow back where it was and went on to check the next room.

Raph had come across the dojo attached to the pool area. He looked at the weapons racks and punching bag enviously. He wouldn't mind training in there he admitted.

Donatello allowed himself to drool over the high-end electronics in the living room before attempting to pick the lock on the one door that was sealed. After a few minutes, it opened, and he looked in. Surprise jolted through him at the room. It wasn't very large, but it was well used. An artist's studio. Blank canvases where stacked on a rack against one wall, and shelves filled with jars and tubes of paint where above a sink along the other. The far wall was almost completely windows, from the floor the ceiling. And the view...In the darkness, the city was ablaze with light.

A half-finished painting sat on the easel in the center of the room, near a stool. Don looked at it curiously. He had no idea what it was suppose to be. The colors where... happy.

Don shook his head, and left the room. He didn't try to understand art.

The night was freezing to most Non-New Yorkers as they hurried home, their breath streaming out before them like wisps of clouds. Some where, a clock began to chime three. The sky was clear, each star as brilliant as a cut diamond on black velvet.

"OK, your turn. "A female voice came from the thicket of trees in Central Park. "Something you've never told anyone; Not your brothers, not April... no one." Phoenix stretched out next to Michelangelo on the blanket they'd brought with them. The remnants of a 'pizza picnic' where strewn about: Paper plates, soda cans, and a empty cannoli box. The candles had burned down to almost nothing, barely glowing.

"Alright. I never even put this in my journal," Mikey flushed, but continued, "I always wanted a kitten." She looked at him in surprise. "A orange one, with green eyes."

"And what would you call him?" She asked with a smile.

He flashed a quick grin. "Klunk!" Mike announced. "I'd call him Klunk."

"I happen to think 'Klunk' is a great name for a kitten." She replied, and let out a quiet, happy sigh. It was a wondrous thing, she decided, being happy. No, not just happy, she corrected herself, being in Love, and having that Love returned. When she was with him, it was so easy to let go of the past; The Foot, her guilt, the journeys. With him she was just a 19-year-old girl, in Love with her boyfriend.

"What'cha dreaming about?" Mikey pushed himself up on one elbow to look down at her, and gently brushed a strand of hair from her face with one fingertip. Somehow, he always knew when she'd gone a million miles away in her mind.

"I was thinking about people stupid enough to try and 'get over' being in Love." She confessed. "Why would you want to get over the thing you look for from the moment you're born, and never forget 'till the day you die?" The very idea puzzled her.

"I dunno." Mikey gave a one shouldered shrug. "I could stand up right now and yell to the sky how I feel about you!"

She rolled her eyes, and playfully punched him in the arm. "Sure, just don't attract the cops!" Phoenix joked.

"Ah! Do I hear doubt?" He leapt to his feet, and grinned down at her. He cupped his hands around his mouth like a bull-horn, and took a deep breath.

"MIKE!" She sat up and yanked on his elbow. "Don't you dare!"

His response was to smile even wider, and yell at the top of his lungs: "MY NAME IS MICHELANGELO SPLINTER-SAN, AND I LOVE PHOENIX

KAZOKU-NASHI!"


End file.
